Deadly Ties
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: The Rangers have always had issues balancing the demands of their family and the duty to hold their enemies at bay. But what do you do when it turns out one of your deadliest enemies IS family?
1. Chapter 1

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers, or the associated names, places, characters, events etc. Anything not covered by these rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**R: **T – may be some adult themes, including violence, language and adult storylines.

It was a fine day in Summer Cove, and the student body was just starting to get back into the swing of things at Summer Cove High. It wasn't long enough after their holiday that they were starting to get weary and looking forward to the next one, but it was long enough that they were out of the "mourning period" and had come to accept the reality that school was back in session.

Brody, Calvin, Hayley, Preston and Sarah came into the school lobby, laughing and joking, just taking time to enjoy the little things in life, such as the fact that it had been at least a few days since someone had tried to vaporize, eviscerate or squash them. It had also given them time to finally rebuild their arsenal. It had taken time, but since they already had the moulds, it was simple enough to re-create the old ones from the stronger Super Ninja Steel. Brody meanwhile was telling the others about a slightly different project he had in mind.

"Look, all I'm saying is that we've got Super Ninja Steel coming out our ears now." Brody explained. "We've already replaced all the stars, including our Power Stars, so I was just thinking, since dad's birthday is coming up and all, maybe it'd be nice to use the old Power Stars to re-forge dad's old ninjato."

"Well I guess it's not like we'll be using them anymore." Hayley commented. "We do have our new, shiny Super Ninja Steel stars now."

"Yeah, but…these things got us through so many weird and amazing times." Calvin said, pulling out his Ninja Steel Power Star. "I still remember the first time I used this thing…"

"And that's great, but new is always better!" Sarah reminded him. "I see the way you keep updating all the old parts in Nitro whenever you can."

"Yeah, but…I kind of get what he's saying." Preston added. "I know that we won't be using them, but after all the times they've saved our butts, I don't know, just melting them down seems kind of…mean. Ungrateful you know?"

"Look, all I'm saying is I sacrificed dad's old sword for the Lion Fire Armour Star and Lion Fire Zord Star…then dad and Mick sacrificed their Power Stars to re-create them for Viera, it might be nice to give him a little something back." Brody told them. "And with his birthday coming up, I figured he'd like something I made…"

"HE'S BROKE!" The other four chorused together, before laughing. Brody just sighed.

"OK, you try getting money to buy birthday presents when your only source of income is your allowance and your dad's an odd-job man." Brody grumbled. Principal Hastings looked up from the desk where she was talking to the receptionist.

"Ah, there you are! Just the group I was looking for!" She called out. The team all looked around each other.

"You were looking for us?" Hayley asked. Principal Hastings just nodded.

"As you know, this school is committed to making the process of enrolling in our fine school as smooth as possible. We like to provide buddies for those coming to us for the first time until they get settled in." She told them.

"Yeah, I remember Victor being a GREAT help." Sarah said a little sarcastically.

"Well, the point is, I have two new students that I'd like to see get a helping hand settling in." She told them.

"Uh, Principal Hastings, you know about our…um…extra-curricular activities." Calvin stated. "We do get kind of busy…"

"Oh, I know all about your extra-curricular activities." She commented. "I also know that after being chained up in my own basement and covering for you and all your bizarre behaviour that you might just feel like you might just feel like doing me a little favour to help out."

"She kind of does have a point." Sarah said sheepishly. "We have kind of…destroyed her school more than a few times."

"Glad you see things my way." Principal Hastings said as she turned to the desk, picking up two files. "So, I was hoping for two volunteers to…Ah, Preston, Brody! Thank you!"

The Blue and Red Ranger turned around, noticing that the other three had disappeared. They both gulped.

"Brody, there's a lovely girl named Emma here, she'll be transferring in a week so that'll give you some time to clear your schedule. It says here she likes Martial Arts movies and was hoping to study some while she was out here so I'm sure you'll have plenty to talk about." Principal Hastings told him, handing over her file. "Preston, this girl Sandy has a keen interest in science and I believe you do too so that should help. She'll be here in a week too."

"Right, um…sure, that's fine." Preston said.

"Oh, Preston, there's one thing you should probably know about Sandy." Principal Hastings said. "She's…"

"Principal Hastings!" Monty called out as he and Victor came up to her. "Principal Hastings, there's something we really need to discuss!"

"In a second, I just need to…"

She turned back, seeing Brody and Preston were gone. She just sighed and turned back to them.

"Alright, what is it this time?" She asked.

On the Warrior Dome, the latest monster arrived. A truly bizarre looking creature, even by the standards of the Warrior Dome, it looked like a kind of half-opened black parasol with hooked fangs around the fringe. It had one single, huge eye about the size of a softball. As he stepped out of the transport, Cosmo came around beside him.

"Ah, Spyclops my dear boy! I do trust your trip was comfortable. Kudabots, do take his luggage to the executive suite we've prepared!" Cosmo greeted him. "Please, come with me, the Kudabots will take care of everything!"

"Wow, such service! Truly befitting a monster of my stature!" Spyclops complimented him. "Madame Odious wasn't kidding when she said I'd be treated a lot better than I was by my last manager."

"Ah, yes, you might just want to keep that little detail between us." Cosmo interrupted the creature. "Truth be told, I'm not even sure what message she sent you."

"But I thought…"

"Yes, well the one you're about to meet, Odious, she is a…oh, there's no delicate way to put this. She's a troubled creature." Cosmo continued.

"Troubled?" Spyclops asked. "How so?"

"Well, she's…I'm afraid to say she has a few…problems up here." Cosmo told him, tapping his head with his forefinger. "She's got power to spare, that's why We keeps her on the payroll, but unfortunately she's not exactly playing with a few cards short of a deck."

"She's not entirely sure what's real and what isn't. It really is terrible." Wrench added, coming to the other side. "She actually thinks SHE'S in charge!"

"I wondered why you sent me that strange message!" Spyclops stated.

"Oh yes, it is sad. However, challenging her delusions could be more harmful than it is helpful." Cosmo lied expertly. "It's probably best to just play along!"

"Aw man! I was promised a lucrative contract!" Spyclops protested. "I left a two thousand Space Bullion a match deal for this!"

"2000?" Wrench asked, before turning away, shaking his head. "Boy, someone really saw this one coming!"

"Ahem, yes, well, I assure you that you'll find the payoffs and the conditions most agreeable here." Cosmo assured him. "It's probably best you come to me for the payments. In the meantime, here's the key to your suite."

"SUITE? WOW!" Spyclops squealed excitedly. "I've never stayed in a suite before! This place really IS the best!"

"Nothing but the best for the fines talent in the universe." Cosmo told him. "Anyway, Madame Odious is just through here. Just remember what I said…keep this between us."

"You've got it!" Spyclops answered, closing its eye, in what Cosmo could only assume would have been a wink if the creature had more than one eye. Wrench returned to his side as Spyclops went into the throne room.

"Wow, that really is not the cream of the crop is it?" Wrench asked. Cosmo just grinned.

"No." He answered. "But as long as Odious thinks we're sending her serious contenders, it'll give us time to bring in the real firepower."

Down on Earth, it was coming to lunch time and Sarah was just putting her books away in her locker before joining her friends for lunch. Levi came up to her, tapping her on the shoulder, before slipping around the opposite side, causing her to look the wrong way and then back to him.

"Very funny Levi!" She groaned. "It wasn't so hilarious the first hundred and forty thousand times, but after that it just keeps getting funnier!"

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Levi asked, pressing a finger behind his ear and tilting it forward. Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Mr Weston!" She replied. Levi didn't really take the whole proper title thing that seriously truth be told, but every now and then he liked to remind the others that during school time, technically he was a teacher and they should treat him as such. "So, can I go now or are you going to write me up for something?"

"Nah, I was just going to ask if you wanted anything from the city." Levi told her. "I'm heading out for lunch today so I was wondering if there's anything I can pick up."

"Oh, well…the new copy of Ultimate Upgrades should be out." Sarah answered. "I was going to pick it up on the way home but if you're going out anyway…"

"I'll get it." Levi answered as Sarah looked out some money. "No, that's fine I'll get it."

"Oh, OK thanks." Sarah replied as Levi walked away. She saw him get to the end of the hall, where Mrs Finch was waiting, before heading out with her. She just smiled. "Well that explains why he's in a good mood!"

As she was about to head to lunch, she almost bumped into Victor and Monty. She jumped with a start.

"Whoa, um…sorry, I didn't see you there…"

"Did she send anything?" Monty rushed out, bouncing eagerly. Sarah went into her bag, pulling out a small disk. Victor and Monty now knew their secret, and in fact had kind of stumbled into being instrumental in the final battle against Galvanax. Sarah knew all about how Monty had felt for Viera, and she also knew Viera held a spot in her heart for him too. She had been delighted to see the two of them growing closer, but unfortunately one thing hadn't occurred to her until Mick came back.

"This is a message disk." Sarah told her. "Put it on something flat like a table then press that button to play it. But…uh…you might want to be somewhere private for it."

"Oh, you bet! I definitely want to be alone for this!" Monty told her, taking the disk and running off. Victor just sighed as he watched him.

"Dear John?" He asked her sadly. Sarah was a little surprised to think that Victor had thought of something like this, but as time went by it obviously occurred to him that if Viera did regain her throne, it wasn't as though she could rule the Lion Galaxy from Earth.

"I'm afraid so." Sarah answered sadly. "Viera's got her throne back which means her people need her there. Aw, he was so thrilled to hear from her, I feel so badly for him!"

"Don't worry, I'll look after him. Heartbreak always feels like the end of the world at first." Victor told her. "Then after a while, you realise you had a life before the person and it doesn't seem so hopeless. It's always darkest before the dawn as they say."

As he walked away, Sarah checked her watch and realised she was late to see her friends. She threw down her hoverboard and jumped onto it, speeding through the hall, having to swerve to avoid Clint the security guard.

"HEY! No riding that thing in the hall!" He called after her. "Or without a helmet!"

"SORRY CLINT!" She called back. Clint just scribbled down a couple of details on his citation pad.

"You will be." He responded, slipping the citation tickets through the grill of Sarah's locker. "People have no respect for the rules!"

In another part of the city, Trevor was in the local supermarket picking up a few supplies. He had some time on his hands right now, but it wasn't exactly a holiday. Right now he was on administrative leave from the police department pending an investigation into an assault.

Trevor had known for a long time that Psycho Green was trying hard to push through. He had hoped by now he'd have a better grasp on how to harness and control him, but unfortunately when he answered a routine domestic violence call, the mysterious creature had played on his fears and his anger. Before he knew it, a kid in his early twenties was in the hospital having taken a face-first trip through a, fortunately, ground-floor window!

He was grateful at least that he was still getting paid. Administrative leave was a fancy way of saying "paid suspension". The department wasn't in the habit of leaving officers unable to fend for their families while they investigated claims of improper behaviour and tended to only stop paying them once they were fired or quit. Trevor couldn't imagine doing anything else with his life; it terrified him to think that Psycho Green had taken not just a job, but a vocation from him. He loved his work, and he loved feeling like he was doing good in this world. It was one of the things that drew him to Psycho Green in the first place, feeling like he could use its power to protect the city from those that brought harm to them, including the Power Rangers.

So far, Laura still believed his story that he was taking personal time to help her recover from the car accident, but he knew he couldn't keep that lie up forever. Sooner or later she'd be back at work and he'd have to explain why he wasn't. He hoped that perhaps they could get a plea deal out of Gary or otherwise conclude the investigation before then, but knowing the way red tape worked, he knew that was a vain hope.

"TREVOR!" He heard someone calling over. He looked at the checkout and saw Aaron, Hayley's father, standing there, waving frantically. He smiled and made his way over.

"Hey Aaron, how are things?" Trevor asked him.

"Oh, they're pretty good. It's good to be back." Aaron told him. "Early days. Hayley got in pretty late and went pretty much straight to bed, but I'm sure we'll get some time to catch up properly."

"Sir, that's Eighty nine dollars and fifteen cents." The cashier said. Aaron looked a little hesitant as she said this.

"Ah, that's...a little more than I was expecting." Aaron replied. "Thank God for plastic right?"

He handed over his credit card, which the cashier swiped.

"So, how are things with work?" He asked. Trevor just sighed.

"I'm taking a little time." He lied, not wanting to explain to Aaron what had happened. "You know, just to take care of Laura."

"Well, that's nice." Aaron replied. "It's kind of like a little early anniversary isn't it?"

"You...could put it that way." Aaron sighed, before muttering under his breath. "If you want to spend your anniversary with your wife on bed-rest and waiting to hear if you still have a job."

"Sir, I'm afraid your card's been declined." The cashier told him. Aaron started to babble and search through his pockets, trying another card. Trevor could feel his temper starting to build up. This wasn't exactly a rare occurrence with Aaron sadly. He never let Hayley go without, but to say he wasn't good with money was like saying that Jack the Ripper wasn't a people person. He was so tunnel-visioned on his work that often he let everything else, even important bills, end up on the back-burner. Trevor had already lent him a lot of money because he found out Aaron had maxed out pretty much everything on some stupid drone he was building for his research. "I'm sorry, here, try this one, I'm sure this one will have something on it."

Trevor looked down to his hand, seeing it starting to glow green. He couldn't believe how irresponsible Aaron was letting himself get to this state when he knew it was his turn to look after Hayley. Gritting his teeth, he shoved Aaron aside and threw down his own credit card.

"Here, use this one." He rushed out, trying not to sound too put out.

"Oh, I couldn't ask you to..."

"You're not asking!" Trevor responded harshly. The cashier ran the card, which went through without a hitch. Aaron started packing up his groceries.

"I'm sorry; I'll pay you back I promise..."

"Just...don't even mention it." Trevor answered.

"But I wouldn't feel right..."

"I mean it, PLEASE don't mention it!" Trevor said in a very subtle growl, struggling to keep Psycho Green down. Aaron just nodded.

"Well, thanks." He responded. Trevor picked up an item.

"You forgot your..." He said, before looking at it. "Cologne?"

Aaron snatched it from him and put it away, before leaving in a hurry. Trevor just eyed him up suspiciously. Aaron wasn't the kind guy to be much into luxury items, hell most of his wardrobe was older than Hayley! It was bad enough that Trevor had to put food on Aaron's table to make sure Hayley wasn't living on packet meals and cereal but to think Aaron was wasting his money on cologne?

"SIR!" The cashier said loudly, bringing his attention back. "There's a line, is there something else I can help you with?"

"Oh, um..." He stammered. "I was looking for low-energy lightbulbs."

"Aisle seven." She replied, at which he left, thinking of the thing that seemed to be working the best at keeping Psycho Green at bay. His wife and his step-daughter. He was holding on for now, but he was starting to wonder how long he could.

Over at the Romero Farm, Redbot and Dane were taking a break from reforging all the old Ninja Stars. They were already making pretty good progress, having concentrated on some of the most important ones first to make sure the Rangers were ready if a monster came. It was all fine and well having one Megazord, but Smellephant had proven that Odious' new casting call and more lucrative prize offer had indeed attracted a higher calibre of monster. No one wanted to take any chances, and so they were eager to have everything they once had back up and running before the next monster showed up if at all possible.

Redbot didn't really need rest, being a machine he didn't suffer fatigue as humans did, at least not in the same way. He basically needed to recharge whenever his power cells were drained, but other than that he didn't really get tired or sore. He just either could function or couldn't. Still, Dane always insisted that he didn't think it was fair to expect Redbot to work whenever he was taking a rest or, as was the case right now, heading into town for some more supplies, and insisted in those times Redbot could do as he wished.

The unfortunate thing was there really wasn't much FOR Redbot to do. He did have a fair bit more freedom to move around the farm than he ever had at the school, but as for activities, there was the television, or he could read. While Redbot loved reading, the Romero's collection of literature wasn't exactly up to the standard of the school library, to which he had free reign at nights while the kids were all at home.

Sitting outside, he was just finishing up a book all about a Native American scout. Many things about that fascinated him. In some ways he could recognise some of the skills he had as traits that Brody and his friends often trained to enhance. Visual perception, observation, picking up subtle clues from the environment to be able to ascertain what had been past and how long ago. Putting the book down and realising he didn't actually have any more to read, he had a look around and decided to give some of what he learned a little try.

Redbot started looking around for tracks and signs of movement. The main yard was full of them. While it was full of footprints, so many that it looked somewhat chaotic and almost like there was nothing of value to learn, the book had shown the scout was able to pick out the smallest details, and with his heightened sensors, Redbot was sure to find something.

He was able to find the most recent tracks by their depth and the lack of erosion from the weather. Finding a set, he found multiple footfalls facing each other, one of them a relatively small foot with a light frame judging by the depth of them, and the other a larger, stockier human with a much larger foot. He could see circular motions and quick, long steps and remembered seeing Sarah and Brody sparring the day before. He looked across and found the patch where Sarah had landed and skidded along the ground, indicated by torn grass and streaked earth. Looking more closely, he even found some hair.

"This is fun!" He stated as he dusted off his hands, sending the hair into the wind. "I wonder what else I can find!"

He headed around the back of the house, looking for something a little more challenging, perhaps some animal tracks. He found some partially faded human footprints and observed them. There was again signs of struggle, but these were a lot more difficult to notice because it appeared they happened some time ago. Broken branches that were weathered to the point they almost didn't look broken anymore, footprints worn to the point they were barely noticeable. This was the kind of thing he was looking for! Something of a real challenge!

He could see one set leading up to the house from the bushes behind it. He didn't recognise the shoe prints, it was different from those he had seen in the front yard. It wasn't even a size he recognised; meaning it likely wasn't one of his friends. It took a moment for him to remember that there had been an intruder that had woken the family a short time ago. This must be the remains of his tracks.

It surprised him a little when he saw another set of prints, ones that looked distinctly like split-toed plimsolls, like the Rangers sometimes wore in training. They ended up right on top of the intruder's prints, indicating he had surprised the intruder, but Redbot couldn't recall anyone confronting him. As far as he knew everyone was in the house and the intruder had simply run off when he realised people were moving inside.

He looked around, noticing an all too brief struggle. The intruder had been completely overwhelmed, not surprising given the fact everyone in the house other than Redbot was a ninja. However, there was some signs of scrambling, like he had suddenly been released and left in a hurry. If one of the Romeros had caught an intruder why would he release them without letting the others know first?

That was when he saw some faint trails along the ground, heading under the house, like something heavy had been pushed or kicked along the ground. He went over and knelt down, looking under the house. It was dark, but thanks to his enhanced visual modes, that wasn't a problem for Redbot. He found a book under the house, and reaching in, he pulled it out.

It was a large, old book, one that didn't seem to have any writing on the cover; however there was plenty of writing on the inside. Redbot took the book, and headed off to find somewhere to read. His adventure as a Native American scout had been fun, but what was that compared to a good story?


	2. Songs, Stories and Heartache

Back on the Warrior Dome, Spyclops was standing, bored and impatient as she watched Madame Odious chanting, waving her mallet over a sheet of parchment. The air over the parchment shimmered and changed colour in a fascinating miasma but Spyclops could not have been any less impressed. All she cared about was what he had to do to get his pay check!

Spyclops had been an independent fighter for a long time, something of a journeyman that was always just out of reach of "the big one", that one fight or victory that meant the difference between nickel-and-diming his way across the universe and living in the style she truly believed she deserved!

She had big dreams indeed. Her own planet, a massive home, servants, her own ship…a gold-plated ship to take her to and from her fights! She did know that the promoters she fought with would never be able to get her the exposure or the pay day she craved and so she took a punt on the open casting call. She almost had a heart attack when she was told to come to the Warrior Dome, and so even though it broke several contracts she came running! She figured she could pay off the breach of contract suits when she took down the Rangers and got her reward!

Badonna nudged her as she noticed Spyclops looking like she was about to nod off.

"Pay attention!" She beckoned her. "My mistress is about to explain the plan! She does not explain twice!"

"From what I heard, maybe you could have used a second explanation before you fought the Rangers." Spyclops chuckled. Badonna was about to strike her with her fan when Odious looked up.

"Enough of this!" She snapped as she completed her spell. "Take this Spyclops."

"Um…OK." Spyclops commented, taking the paper, before staring at it as she headed for the door. Madame Odious fired a warning shot that hit the door before she could get there, startling Spyclops.

"You have no idea what I want you to do with it yet!" Madame Odious. "This parchment is a very powerful spell, one which will change the character of anyone that sings it aloud!"

"Uh…OK?" Spyclops said, her tone indicating she still didn't quite get it. Odious just sighed.

"It's a symmetric spell! It causes a person's nature to reverse!" Madame Odious explained. "Get one of the Rangers to sing it and they will attack their friends!"

"Right." Spyclops said, before thinking about it for a moment. "How…how do you want me to do that exactly?"

"WHAT?" Odious demanded.

"I mean…what if none of the Rangers want to sing it?" Spyclops asked.

"I reached out to you because of your skills with disguise and trickery!" Odious shrieked. "Now take that spell and GO GET THOSE RANGERS!"

Spyclops was about to answer, but then a thought occurred to her. She remembered what Cosmo had said. Humour Odious and make her think that she was in charge. What did it matter if her plan worked or not? If it didn't, she could always come up with something else, and as long as Odious was happy she'd still get paid right?"

"Oh..OH! I see! That's ingenious!" Spyclops said, starting to work hard to convince Odious that she was falling in line with the plan. "I'll go down, and try to get one of the Rangers to sing this song and when they do, they'll uh…not want to hurt their friend and…their friend will destroy them!"

"EXACTLY!" Odious called out in exasperation. "Now, get out of my sight!"

As she left, Odious gestured Badonna over.

"Are you sure this one is the great deceiver she was billed as?" Odious asked. "She seems rather…dull."

With that, Badonna bowed shrugged, before heading out of the room. Odious stroked her chin, considering this latest applicant.

Victor looked around the school, finally finding Monty in one of the side rooms. He was playing the message disk from Viera. Victor just sighed sadly as he saw this. As much he would have liked to be there when Monty got the message, so that he had someone for support when the inevitable happened, he also knew it was probably something Monty needed to go through alone at first. Compounding the upset of the end of a relationship with the humiliation of being dumped in front of others, even his best friend, would likely only be worse.

"…Please know that you've always got a place in my heart." Viera said, tears running down her face as she came to the end of her message. "I'm sorry things couldn't have been different, but my people need me. Goodbye Monty. I…I l…um…"

The message terminated, and he could see Monty just staring at the disk. He waited a moment, just so that Monty wouldn't know that he had already heard the last part.

"Hey there Monty." Victor greeted him, coming in and sitting with him. "So, how's Viera?"

"She…she dumped me!" Monty whispered in despair. Monty put his arm around him.

"Oh, Monty…"

"I really liked her!" Monty simpered.

"I know you did." Victor told him.

"I mean…I always wondered what would happen if she managed to get the throne back." Monty told him. "I…I would have gone with her if she wanted."

"Monty, you have a life here." Victor reminded him. "Would you really have been able to leave your parents behind? Your friends?"

"What friends?" Monty said a little petulantly. "Everyone here hates me!"

"That's not true. What about the Rangers?" Victor asked him. "And what about me? I mean, I'd have been glad you were happy but do you think I'd have loved to see you go?"

"I guess not." Monty told him. "But it still really hurts."

"It's alright." Victor assured him. "It hurts now but, you know what they say…it's better to have loved and lost than…"

"AND HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?" Monty snapped at him, before trudging away. Victor just picked up his bag and headed after him.

Over at the Romero Farm, Redbot was sitting in the house, reading his newest book. He couldn't recall ever seeing it before, but since he had read almost everything at the Romero place, he was delighted to have something new to read.

He didn't actually recognise the story; the book didn't even appear to have a title! Still, as he started reading, he found it intriguing. He couldn't see it being separated into chapters like most stories were, in fact, it was a bunch of entries that were all marked by date, like a diary. It wasn't a common writing style, but he had seen a few books written that way, in a style emulating a journal or diary of some description.

The main character of this story was someone named Mariko, and it was strange, but quite compelling to see some of the things she put into the story. Even quite benign things that many novelists would probably consider too dull or inane to put in, like a story about going to a pet store and really hoping her mom would buy her a cat, but being disappointed when instead they went home with a goldfish. It all seemed to fit together to make a really complete person, almost as though they were real! He could almost imagine what she must look like, what she might talk like.

"I'm scared, mom tells me that I need to go now. She's sending me to a special school somewhere in the mountains. I don't want to go. I don't want to leave my mommy behind but she says that now daddy's gone and she's sick she can't take care of me anymore." Redbot read aloud, checking one of the entries. He had to re-check the date to make sure he had the details right. "Oh my, Mariko was only ten? The poor girl! No wonder she was frightened!"

He read on further, going through some more entries. There was a lot going on that was exciting. Secret messages being sent between Mariko's mother and the school, before finally someone came for her in the middle of the night. A man explained to her that she was to go with him, but that she had to do exactly as she was told, and that she wasn't allowed to know where she was going.

She recounted how she was blindfolded for the whole journey. She had managed to pass some of the time by sleeping, but she had no idea how long she had been travelling by the time she was finally allowed to take the blindfold off.

"I had never seen anywhere like it. It looked like all the history books mom always made me read from the old country." Redbot read aloud. "It was like someone had taken me back in time or put me in one of those old movies mom likes. The man told me that I was at the Wind Ninja Academy."

Redbot sat bolt upright.

"WIND NINJA ACADEMY?" She blurted out.

Just then, he heard the door. He didn't know why but he closed the book and shoved it away quickly, just before Dane came into the room.

"Hey Redbot, I'm back!" He called out, tossing his keys into a bowl. "Sorry I was so long, but a few of the guys that helped us rebuild the barn were there an I took the opportunity to buy a round to pay them back."

"It's alright." Redbot told him.

"So, did you…find something to do while I was away?" Dane asked him. Redbot just nodded.

"Just a little reading." He answered.

"I shouldn't have asked." Dane chuckled. "Come on, we still have some Ninja Stars to forge."

Redbot got up from his chair, heading out to the workshop with Dane, leaving Mariko's diary shoved down the side of the cushion.

Back in Summer Cove, Levi and Mrs Finch were walking through the town. They'd started something of their own little mini-tradition/habit born largely out of the fact the cafeteria food left more than a little to be desired. They weren't exactly food snobs or anything, but they did both appreciate having a menu that consisted of more than nachos, pizza and something that existed as the state-required vegetarian option which was rather generously entitled simply 'pasta'. While every once in a while, they would have to take their turn on duty watching over the canteen, when they didn't, they enjoyed having lunch together, either taking turns bringing something they had made at home or perhaps venturing out for something. Today, they had opted for a little old-fashioned style diner a couple of blocks from the school.

Levi just looked at Mary and marvelled at the ice cream cone she was eating as she explained to him the delights of a live stage show of The Lion King she had attended recently.

"Oh, come on! Just a little bit!" He protested.

"No, it's mine!" She giggled.

"Come on, just a little!"

"It's not my fault you inhaled yours in thirty seconds flat." Mary lectured him. "I can't help it if I like to savour my strawberry vanilla swirl."

"You wouldn't want to let this face go without, would you?" Levi asked, pulling his cutest puppy face. She did find it adorable, but having been a teacher as long as she had, Mary was pretty much immune to every form of manipulation. Her students had tried practically every trick in the book so many times she wasn't sure there were any left. She responded by shoving the cone into his nose. Levi started laughing as he pulled out a handkerchief and started to clean off his face. "Oh, it's like that is it?"

"Now, whatever you're thinking don't you dare!" She called out in warning, holding her hands up as he was approaching.

"I'm warning you, if you touch me, I'll scream!" She chuckled as he came closer. "No, don't you…don't you dare, I'm ticklish! I swear don't you…"

She backed into a wall, leaving her nowhere to go. Levi was almost on top of her when she glared straight at him. Levi could see there was nowhere for her to go, and just stood, staring at her. They were both still laughing for a moment, until the laughter started to subside. Mary looked straight into his eyes, and for a moment, they just stood in silence. Levi just started to stroke the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, I guess it is my own fault." He stated. "I mean, you're right, I did already eat all my…" He stopped though when they heard something in the distance. Levi looked to her.

"Do you hear that?" He asked her. Mary just nodded in response. It was the unmistakable sound of a guitar playing, and from what she could tell, it sounded pretty good! "That sounds like one of my songs!"

She was a young girl, and reasonably attractive with it. She was wearing a dark blue off-the-shoulder blouse and a short skirt. She had long blonde hair that hung most of the way down her back. She stood next to Levi, who was tapping his foot in time to the music, clearly enjoying her version of one of his own songs.

"She's pretty good." Levi commented.

"Yeah, she is." Mrs Finch agreed. Levi looked to her with a slightly mischievous look on his face.

"I have an idea." He told her, pulling down the skip of his Stetson to conceal his face. She just put her face in her one free hand and shook her head in disbelief as she watched him make his way around the crowd, coming up from an angle behind the busker so that she couldn't see him approaching. Levi was right behind her when she approached the chorus line.

"…Love will always be the key,

Look into my heart and see." The busker sang, ending the verse. That was when Levi decided to make his presence known.

"I'll, be there,

In moments of sorrow!"

The busker looked about ready to fall out of her stool as she realised the guy that wrote the song was joining her to sing it! Levi gestured to her to keep going, seeing that for a moment she was stunned and lost the place.

"I'll, be there,  
Just tell it to your heart!

My love's everlasting!

I'll, be there,

They're no more denying,

I'll be there,

And never far apart,

Just listen to my heart!"

The crowd applauded and started to take pictures, completely surprised by this impromptu performance. Mary was starting to head over as Levi started to talk to the busker.

"Levi Weston! I can't believe…your song and your lyrics and…now I've met you in real life." She rushed out, starting to hyperventilate. This wasn't exactly uncommon to Levi. Even Mary was starting to get used to the fact that every now and then he would still get stopped by some overly-enthusiastic fan trying to get his attention. "And…wow…you smell great too!"

Mary stopped still hearing this, and watched on as Levi smiled at her, almost laughing a little, but also trying to put the young girl at ease. The girl put her hands over her face.

"Oh my God, I can't believe I just said that! It just came out! I…Oh my God, I must sound like an idiot or a psychopath right now…" She continued to babble. Levi placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. It wasn't the first time he dealt with fans and the fact sometimes their brain would short-circuit a little in their excitement meeting him. It wasn't the most bizarre or most embarrassing reaction he'd ever seen. Some had passed out in front of him, some would go into long, involved stories of how he changed their life…he'd even had one fan pee themselves in front of him once. Most just entered what he'd affectionately come to know as 'Blue Screen of Death' after the computer malfunction where they'd just stand and stare unable to say anything at all when their mind just went completely blank. "I'm so sorry, I…"

"Don't worry about it, it's…really no big deal." He assured her. "I've had a few duets before, but I don't think that song has ever sounded so good before! Your voice is really nice…um…I'm sorry, what's your name?"

"Jess!" She squealed. "Um…thanks, that means so much to me! You have no idea how much I've wanted to meet you and sing with you…"

"Well, maybe we can work something out?" Levi suggested. "I always like to encourage new talent. Hell, I'd still be on a street corner if it wasn't for The General giving me a leg up, so I believe in paying it forward when I can. Say, Mary do you…?"

Levi looked up, but Mary had gone. He furrowed his brows as he looked around for any sign of her, but she was nowhere to be seen. Her disappearance was almost as impressive as one of Preston's. He scratched his head in confusion.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" She asked him.

"Uh…no, I can spare some time. I don't have classes this afternoon." Levi told her, going to her sheet music. "Now, I like what you do with the song, but do you mind if I make a couple of suggestions that I think might make the most of your range?"

Just then, they heard some explosions. Levi could see some Basherbots running into the area, scaring off the citizens. He gestured to Jess.

"Go get into some cover!" He told her. "Mary! MARY!"

He looked around frantically, but he couldn't see any sign of Mrs Finch anywhere.

"MARY!"

"Levi, come on, we've got to get out of here!" Jess screamed, grabbing his arm and pulling at it. Levi took one last look around, and saw the Rangers were starting to arrive, joining the battle. He wanted to find Mary, to be sure that she was alright, but since he couldn't see her, he figured she must have already left, or if she hadn't then the Rangers would be able to get her safely away. Right now, he needed to mind Jess. "COME ON!"

"Alright, let's go." Levi agreed. "Come on, this way!"

With that, he ran off with Jess, leaving the others to take care of things here.


	3. Variety Is The Spice Of Life

The Rangers raced back to the school after the battle. Calvin threw Nitro rather carelessly around the parking lot.

"Whoa! What's with the G-forces here?" Preston asked him as he was thrown across the back seat when Calvin turned sharply.

"Jeez, the guy goes from not being able to drive to stunt show in a few months!" Brody complained as he ended up getting squished against the side by Sarah.

"Sorry guys, I was just…aw hell!" Calvin growled. "The parking lot's full now! Someone took my spot!"

"I knew we should have taken the bikes!" Hayley grumbled. "I guess you're going to have to park across at the mall."

"Are you kidding? There I'll have to pay!" Calvin responded. He gunned the engine, bumping Nitro up over the curb and onto the lawn. "There we go, one big green parking lot! Got to love four by four!"

"Well we still have to figure out how we're going to get back into Mrs Finch's class without her noticing we're late." Hayley reminded him. They all very quickly disembarked from Nitro, sprinting up the steps into the school, meaning they failed to notice Clint, the school security guard, rounding the corner. He just started shaking his head and making a little tutting sound with his tongue as he approached, writing up a parking citation.

The Rangers made their way to Mrs Finch's class, creeping along the corridor as they got closer. Brody glanced through the glass in the door, seeing a classroom in chaos. There were plenty of kids there, but considering the fact the closest thing anyone was doing to maths was the couple of kids playing poker in the corner while others were playing video games, reading comics, talking, or in general treating the classroom like their own personal recreation room it looked as though they had somehow beaten Mrs Finch back.

"Looks like we've lucked out." Brody said as he turned around with a bright smile. The others were smiling too, but they weren't the only people behind him. Slowly but surely, they all stopped smiling as they realised something was wrong and turned around, seeing Mrs Finch standing with her arms folded. "Um..Hi…Mrs Finch!"

"We…um…we were worried when you were late so…" Calvin started to stammer out. "We were just going to go and look for you!"

"Calvin, do you see these things on the side of my head?" She asked gesturing to her ears. "Well, after being a teacher as long as I have, they've become finely-tuned bullshit detectors!"

"Uh…well…uh…!" They all stammered. Mrs Finch just pointed into the classroom, at which they all went inside. She took one look at the scene of chaos in her class and her face turned bright red.

"IN. YOUR. SEATS. NOW!" She roared. Everyone very quickly scrambled to their seats and stowed their various distractions away as quickly as they could. Mrs Finch just glared at her classroom. "Now, I know what you're all thinking. I can't say anything because I was late too."

Although pretty much everyone was thinking that exact thing, no one dared bring it up. No one wanted to try their luck.

"Textbooks out and turn to chapter twelve! Monty, start reading!" She snapped. As everyone got out their textbooks and Monty got up to start reading out loud the coursework, Preston just nudged Sarah.

"Is it just me or did she seem super pissed before she saw the classroom?" He asked her.

"Believe me, I don't want to know what put a bug up her ass." She replied. "I'm just happy to take the win."

"Preston! Sarah, something you want to share with the class?" She called out from the blackboard, not even looking at them. They both shook their heads vigorously.

"No Mrs Finch." They both responded.

"Good. Now, I may have been a few minutes late, but this classroom is NOT a democracy so if I hear anyone's voice but Monty's for the rest of the lesson, you'll ALL be in detention after school. Do I make myself clear?"

She didn't hear any response.

"Good." She said bluntly. "Now Monty, continue where you were before you were so RUDELY interrupted!"

Elsewhere in the city, Levi was trying in vain to call the others. He couldn't use his Ninja-Comm in front of Jess, but he couldn't seem to get any of them to answer. All of their phones went straight to voicemail. It took a moment for him to finally realise the time and figure that if they weren't still in the middle of battle, they were probably in class.

"Damn." He muttered, before putting his phone away.

"I think we've lost them." Jess said as she checked around a corner for any signs they had been followed.

"Yeah, I think the Rangers kept them busy." Levi said as he came closer, making a show out of checking around with her. He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrapping around him and holding him tightly. He looked down, seeing Jess clinging to him like her life depended on it.

"Thank you!" She gushed as she held onto him, burying her face in his chest. "I've…I've never seen anything like that! They just came from nowhere and they…"

"Hey, hey, it's alright, they're gone now." Levi assured her, holding onto her. Jess parted from him a little way and looked up to him, looking deeply into his eyes.

"You're…amazing." She whispered softly. "You're not just a great singer. You're brave and strong and…"

"Jess, I just did what was right." Levi told her. She smiled at him.

"I think you did more than that." She replied, closing her eyes and pulling in closely, pressing her lips to his. They were lost for a moment, so much so that Levi never noticed as Jess' hand went behind her back, pulling out a long, curved dagger, before bringing it around behind him. This was Spyclops' special ability, using disguises and misdirection to get her opponent to let their guard down and strike when they were vulnerable. She was about to bring the dagger into Levi's back, however, before she could plunge it into his back, he pushed her arms off and staggered her. She snatched her hand behind her back before he could see the knife.

"Jess…I'm sorry, I…I really am." Levi told her.

"What?" She asked. Levi now felt like simultaneously the world's dumbest person for not seeing this coming and also the world's worst person for letting it happen. He'd saved Jess from the attack, and from the way she flailed earlier it wasn't hard to think she probably was attracted to him already. He started to look at her regretfully as he stroked her shoulders with his hands.

"Jess, you're…you're really great. You're pretty, you're smart, you've…you've got a great voice..."

"But?" She asked.

"Well…" He said, trying to find an easy way to say it. "…the thing is, there's already someone I'm kind of into."

He could see the way Jess was looking at him and it just made him regret even more what had happened.

"Look, the thing is, there's someone I kind of like and we get along great and well, I don't really know what it is yet." Levi told her honestly. "But I kind of feel like if I did anything with anyone else before I figure that out then it wouldn't be fair on them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Jess walked away from him a little way, secreting the knife in her clothing. Spyclops could see her opportunity had passed, and was trying to think of a new plan to get close to one of the other Rangers.

"Hey, Jess, wait up!" Levi called out, running up to her. He now felt really badly, like he'd really messed up and didn't want Jess to leave feeling badly. "I wasn't kidding before though. I think you've got real talent. I wasn't messing around when I said I wanted to help you out."

"You do?" She asked.

"Hey, I may kid around about a lot of things, but I never kid about music!" He assured her. Jess thought about it for a moment, when something caught her attention.

"Well…OK, but first, check this out!" She said, running over to a market stand nearby. A new plan was starting to form. She could see Levi wanted to make amends for 'leading her on', blissfully ignorant of the fact he was the one who almost fell into a trap. Levi felt so guilty he didn't really think he could deny her if she wanted a little souvenir. It wasn't every day someone was asked to duet with one of their favourite stars. He could still remember hanging up three times when he was convinced Tom was trying to punk him before he finally realised Kira Ford really was trying to call him!

He got to the market stand and saw her rummaging around, looking through some items. She finally picked out a hat.

"Here, what do you think?" She asked him. To say it wasn't Levi's style would be somewhat like saying The Incredible Hulk was the model of restraint and self-control! It was a black baseball cap, with metal on the skip, and some bright splashes of colour along the front.

"Yeah, that could look pretty good on you." He answered in as convincing a way as he could.

"No, not for me, for you silly!" She replied, whipping off his Stetson and putting it on his head. Levi just looked into the mirror in horror.

"Uh, thanks, but I already got a hat!" He told her.

"Oh, but it looks great on you! And the image would be just perfect for my new song!" She told him. "It'd go great with this jacket…oh, and these pants too!"

The last time Levi had seen an outfit like this was at a rodeo when one of the bull-riders fell and a clown would run in to distract the bull until he could get out of the ring. But, he figured, maybe it was a small price to pay to salve Jess' feelings and his conscience.

"So…can I at least see this song?" Levi asked. Jess just slipped him a piece of parchment with music on it. Levi furrowed his brows as he looked at it. "Well, you're right about one thing. It definitely isn't country."

"Oh, come on Levi, you know what they say, variety is the spice of life!" Jess said to him. "You've heard that right?"

"Yeah…yeah, of course!" He answered, looking at the clothes in his hand. "It's…definitely different."

Up on the Warrior Dome, Madame Odious was stalking the halls, pondering her interaction with Spyclops.

She wasn't so much bothered by the fact Spyclops had shown her some disrespect. She was unfortunately more than a little used to it. Many of the warriors she had managed over the course of her career were brutes, mindless thugs that respected little other than power and strength. It wasn't unknown for them to be very cliquish. Many of them wouldn't even let anyone other than fellow warriors into the training rooms or dressing rooms. They felt that honour had to be 'earned'. It had galled her at first when warriors would talk down to her or snap at her, but pretty soon she realised their egos made them all the easier to manipulate. After all, who was really the foolish one? Those that risked their lives in the arena or the manager who got to claim ten percent of their earnings without risking one hair on their head?

But there was something deeper in the disrespect Spyclops had shown her. She almost talked to her like she thought Odious was not as smart as her. It was a pretty dangerous thing to annoy the one that ultimately decided your opponents and the terms of your matches. More than one warrior who had annoyed Cosmo suddenly found themselves on the rough end of some pretty tall odds.

She was already suspicious about a lot of things going on in the ship. It was tough not to be. Only a short time ago they were spinning through space, most of their vital systems destroyed or failing and awaiting inevitable and certain doom when the last few systems finally gave out. As much as she prided herself on her power and her resilience, being one of the few creatures in the universe that could boast taking a direct hit from an asteroid with little to show for it, but even she knew when her number was up and she had to admit even to herself, she was relying on some pretty serious luck to prevent ending up being a set of remains discovered on an abandoned ship by some archaeologist many years from now.

The fact that she was discovered by Lord Draven wasn't just good luck, it was nothing short of miraculous. He not only repaired their systems he had actually upgraded the entire ship and even provided some of his own followers to fill gaps in her crew caused by the inevitable casualties. He even kept in contact and stated that he would send others to help when he could, and all he asked in return was a very vague statement of asking for 'a favour' somewhere down the road. Odious wasn't foolish enough to believe in such charity, she didn't get to where she was without learning that if something appeared to be too good to be true, it almost certainly was and the other side was making a significant benefit from the deal that the other side didn't see. She wasn't in a position to refuse or to negotiate, but she was also awaiting some kind of double-cross somewhere down the road.

She checked some of the footage from the broadcast, and saw that Spyclops hadn't even attempted her plan yet. She had gone off and tried things her own way before doing anything else. She had eventually given Levi the sheet music for the spell, but not before her own plan had faltered. It was almost as if she had never had any intention of listening to Odious and only did so because her own methods had failed and she was willing to try anything.

She looked down the hall and saw Cosmo and Wrench coming out of Cosmo's office, thick as thieves. Those two were always together, always having private discussions, always doing something behind closed doors and out of sight. If it wasn't for the fact that they kept the show running smoothly and dealt with things like cameras, lighting and all those other technical aspects that never interested her, she would have destroyed them out of mere convenience. They had to know that they didn't have the outright power to bring her down, but plotting against her? Was that possible?

She then saw Badonna coming over to them, seemingly very agitated and engaging in an argument that quickly turned ugly. Badonna had been sent to her by Draven as a trusted lieutenant, and Odious already knew she had impressive power. She had also been quick to pledge her loyalty to her, pinning her colours to Odious' banner so to speak. Of course, Odious had done the same with Galvanax and many others…and they found out the hard way how little that could mean!

Someone had trusted Spyclops to play dumb, but it seemed they overestimated her intelligence, or her ability to act. No, someone was playing games with her, she just didn't know who…yet! All she knew was that she didn't appreciate being a piece in anyone's game, and when she figured out who was trying to bring her down, she wasn't just going to win the game, she was going to drive the board straight through their face!

"Mistress, they just won't listen!" Badonna complained as she came running over to Odious. "Spyclops completely ignored your plan and yet they say that they're not going to do anything to…"

"All I'm saying is that Spyclops has a fan-base that she has to satisfy. There are certain things they expect from her!" Cosmo interrupted her. "You can't very well expect her to go bringing out new tactics until she tries the things the loyal fans that have followed her for all those years expect of her. It's just…basic rules of television."

"Television, BAH!" Badonna scoffed. "Who cares what those idiots think? Madame Odious runs the show now!"

"Look Ms. Jenny-Come-Lately, clearly you know as much about television as you do about stealing some metal from a bunch of teenagers!" Cosmo sniped.

"HOW DARE YOU!" She screamed, preparing to launch a power blast. Madame Odious held up a hand.

"Easy!" She beckoned them. "Spyclops is following the plan now, that's all that matters!" She stated. "As for all of you, what is it you always say Cosmo? No one dies on this show unless we're getting paid!"

At the end of the school day, the Rangers were all leaving the school, relieved to finally be out of the surprisingly tense and uncomfortable atmosphere of Mrs Finch's math class. The time had dragged in with no sound being made. No one dared even breathe too deeply as she made it clear she was in a terrible mood. Normally Mrs Finch was one of the nicest, kindest and most reasonable teachers any of them had ever had, but it seemed when she was angered…she had a side of her that they never knew existed. They were all heading to the Romero place to train for a while, and frankly…it wasn't far enough for comfort for most of them! Hayley was just on the phone to her dad to explain she would be late.

"Yeah, that's right…I'm heading to a friends' place." Hayley said on her phone to her dad as they headed for the parking lot.

"Oh, well, that's fine sweetheart, I suppose it's better than you being in the apartment yourself." Aaron answered.

"Working late?" She asked in a sigh.

"Actually, we should be finishing up pretty soon." Aaron told her. "But I was just heading to the gym afterwards. I should be back for a late dinner, around…seven?"

"I should be there by then." Hayley answered.

"Love you." Aaron stated.

"Love you too dad." Hayley replied, hanging up. "That's strange…since when did dad start going to the gym?"

"Your dad isn't the gym type?" Sarah asked. Hayley rolled her eyes.

"The closest he comes to a bicep curl is chugging a Red Bull when he's pulling an all-nighter." Hayley responded. Preston was still shuddering from the experience in the classroom.

"I'm telling you, I don't think I was that terrified when Galvanax took us prisoner on his ship." Preston whispered, as though he was terrified somehow Mrs Finch would still hear. "I've never seen her that pissed!"

"Well, fortunately we'll safer than that classroom." Calvin told them. "We'll be training with a professional ninja swinging live blades at each other!"

They all laughed a little at this, before Brody pointed a little way down.

"Say, anyone know who that is heading for the school?" He asked, pointing towards a guy heading towards the school. He was dressed in brightly coloured clothing. None of them could really describe it, but Hayley was the first to give it a try.

"Someone who should really turn the lights on when they get dressed?" She offered. There were a few more laughs, before Hayley slipped and almost fell over. "Whoa, what…what happened?"

"This whole area is water-logged!" Sarah commented. "What happened?"

"Oh man, look at this!" Calvin called out, going to his truck, finding some tickets trapped under the windshield wiper. He pulled them out. "Clint wrote me up for parking on the lawn and…damaging school property?"

"I think he might mean this!" Preston said as he bent down, picking up a sprinkler head that was just by the front tyre. Calvin just threw his head back.

"Aw man, it says I have to pay fifty bucks to replace the sprinkler head!" He complained. "Mom and dad are NOT going to be happy!"

Meanwhile, inside the school, Mrs Finch was just clearing up after class when she heard a knock on the door. She looked up and saw Levi standing there.

"I couldn't get you on your phone." Levi stated.

"Yes, I switch it off when I'm in class." She told him. "It's a little thing called 'professionalism'."

"Look, I just wanted to check on you. I couldn't see you during the attack…"

"Attack?" She asked.

"Yeah, the Basher…um…the robots that attacked the street." Levi told her. Mary just looked at him unconvinced.

"Robots attacked the street? Really?" She said sarcastically. "That's the best you could come up with?"

By now the city knew that Odious and her monsters were back, so it wasn't THE most outlandish thing in the world to say, but the fact Mary didn't know that the street had been attacked and doubted him at all suggested she had indeed left before the attack. Levi didn't know whether to be happy she wasn't there and so wasn't at risk, or concerned that now meant she didn't believe him.

"Look, I'm sorry, I was just talking to Jess about helping her with her music and then the robots attacked and…"

"Talking about music? Really?" She asked. "Is that what they call it now?"

"Wait…are you upset with me?" Levi asked. "Mary…"

"Mrs Finch!" She snapped, interrupting him. Levi took a deep breath. He could tell she was upset about the fact he had left her.

"Look, I know I can sometimes get a little obsessive when it comes to music and just kind of lose track of everything else." Levi said, trying to explain. "Jess is a really good musician and I think with a little help and exposure she could really go places."

"So, you JUST talked about music and ran away from robots is that about right?" She asked him.

"Yes, that's it!" Levi assured her. "I was going to tell you but then I lost track of you and…"

Mary flicked the skip of his baseball cap.

"Funny, when you were fleeing for your lives you seemed to have time to stop off for some clothes shopping." She stated. Levi gulped.

"Look, I can explain…"

"Don't bother! I think when I have a Masters in mathematics, I can put two and two together!" She stated. "Close the door on your way out Mr Weston!"

Levi realised he wasn't going to be able to do anything other than get himself in more trouble right now. Resolving to come back at another time, hopefully when she had a chance to calm down a little, he left the room, closing the door behind him. Mrs Finch picked up a chalk eraser and threw it the length of the room, where it rebounded off the chalk board with a loud bang, before placing a hand on her head.

"Idiot." She muttered. "I'm…I'm such an idiot."


	4. Too Much Spice?

At the Marx house, Trevor was just finishing up making dinner for Laura and himself. It wasn't ideal that he was still under review. The fact was that he knew the case could go either way. Regardless of the fact that Gary had, as far as anyone was aware, physically assaulted another person, there really was no way that Trevor's actions towards him could be justified as reasonable force. Trevor was significantly larger than Gary, and between his police and military training, even without the power of Psycho Green he was more than capable of bringing a joker like Gary in with a lot less force than he had used. Gary was right now laid up in hospital with several broken bones and quite a few missing teeth and a lot depended on whether or not he wanted to make a complaint…presuming he had the wherewithal to do so! He might have been a scumbag, but even scumbags had certain rights.

Trevor couldn't feel too badly for Gary. He had seen kids like him before many times. Perhaps if someone had given him some guidance growing up, if his parents or older relatives had disciplined him he might not have grown to the point where he felt like he could raise his hands to someone weaker than him without consequences. It was only a matter of time before he crossed paths with someone that wouldn't put up with his bullshit. Even though he knew that he had crossed several lines and gone way beyond his responsibility as an officer of the law, he couldn't feel badly about the fact perhaps now Gary would finally have gotten the message and leave Betty alone. Unfortunately he also knew that his problems extended far beyond just the prospect of having to find another job.

Psycho Green had completely taken control of him a few times now. Most recently he had killed former General Tracker and he had beaten Gary to within an inch of his life, but in many ways they deserved what they had coming to them. What he couldn't reconcile though was it was becoming more and more clear that Psycho Green wasn't going to be satisfied until he took over completely. It was a battle of wills for Trevor's very mind that he wasn't sure he was going to win.

He could even recall being about to face off against Spike. Trevor knew all too well one of the hardest things to do was call out a team-mate or friend. Spike had been trying to call out Trevor and make him realise the path he was on. Trevor had even made a move on him, and it was only Spike's training that prevented him getting hurt. He had felt Psycho Green starting to rise again before they were interrupted. Trevor knew that Spike's training went beyond what he received at the academy, he had seen it in action himself, but even with his multiple black belts, he was confident Psycho Green would make short work of Spike. The fact was, he either needed to find a way to control Psycho Green or remove him for good. Unfortunately, he had no idea if the latter was even possible. He'd already tried to dispose of the dagger, but it always found its way back to him.

He started serving up his curry into dishes before heading through to the Living Room. When he got there, he found Laura on her laptop.

"Now, for your sake I hope that's either Twitter or adorable cat videos on YouTube." He told her.

"It's nothing heavy, just a few reports." She told him. Trevor didn't look particularly amused by this. "What?"

"Traditionally when someone is on bed-rest, they're meant to stay in bed." He reminded her. "I know it's too much to ask you to do that, but you're actually working?"

"My job doesn't just stop because I'm not there." Laura told him. "It's bad enough those accounts only just got back from the evidence locker, if I sit on my butt here for too long Keith would probably try and replace me!"

"Keith would know better than that!" Trevor stated. Laura could sense something in his tone, a lot harsher than she was used to hearing from Trevor. She looked to him.

"What's that meant to mean?" She asked him. Trevor stalled for a moment. She didn't know about the fact he had attacked Keith on their own front lawn.

"_Go on. Tell her." _Psycho Green whispered. Trevor had to shake his head clear.

"I…had some very direct words for him." Trevor said.

"_Coward!"_ Psycho Green taunted him. Laura just looked disappointed in him.

"You threatened my boss?" She demanded. "Trevor, what the hell?"

"He came to your house after you were involved in a car accident!" Trevor reminded her. "You could have been killed!"

"Jeez, this is bad…um…OK, I've not got any e-mails that say I'm fired, that's one thing at least." She rushed out. "Alright, maybe if I finish this up I can get back before he decides…"

"Wait, are you mad at me for this?" Trevor asked her.

"You threatened my boss, of course I'm mad!" She snapped at him, before grabbing her head. "Great, now I need an aspirin."

"Why are you mad at me? I'm not the one that's demanding you work yourself into the ground!" Trevor said bluntly. "Keith is…"

"Keith's an asshole!" She interrupted him. "But he's on the promotion highway. Six months from now he'll be looking for an office in another city and I'll be heading upstairs and I'll never even need to hear his name again. If you don't manage to talk me onto the unemployment line in the meantime!"

Trevor took a deep breath. Laura was pretty astute when it came to the corporate ladder.

"Alright, fine, I lost my cool and I shouldn't have. It won't happen again." Trevor assured her. "Can you at least put the laptop away while you have some dinner?"

"Sure." She replied, folding it away. "Oh, Aaron called earlier. He said he ran into you at the grocery store."

"Yes, we ran into each other." Trevor muttered.

"He mentioned you had to bail him out at the counter." She sighed. "He really does feel bad about it."

"It wouldn't be the first time." He said a little bitterly. Laura just smiled.

"You know he always gets us back in the end. Those grants can be a nightmare to chase up!" She told him. "They have to go from one committee to another and through various chambers…God, if you think there's red tape in my job…"

"_What?"_ Psycho Green asked. _"He gets a pass and you get yelled at for standing up for your wife?"_

"…I mean, maybe these things would run a little more smoothly if he finally got tenure but you know Aaron, that would mean he wouldn't get time on precious boats…"

"_She stands up for him when she gets angry at you for trying to protect her and her daughter?" _Psycho Green stated. _"She should be grateful and yet she's…"_

"SHUT UP!" Trevor snapped. Laura just stared at him.

"Excuse me?" She demanded. Trevor just picked up his bowl and stood up.

"Maybe I'm just a little sick of the fact I'm getting dragged over the coals when Aaron gets free pass after free pass no matter what he does!" Trevor blurted out. Laura just stared at him, completely struck dumb by his outburst. Trevor regretted his words instantly, but it wasn't as though he could tell her he wasn't talking to her but the voice of the alien in his head. "I…think I'm just going to eat this in the kitchen."

"Probably a good idea." Laura said, looking clearly unhappy about the way he had spoken to her. Trevor just headed out of the room, into the kitchen, dumping his dinner into the garbage when he got there. He stood for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, before picking up a jacket and heading out into the city. He needed to clear his mind, preferably before he said anything else he'd regret.

The Rangers were at the Romero Farm, getting in some training time. Dane had now been training with them, lending some of his expertise. They'd now had a good few training sessions with Dane joining them. He was only too happy to accept and respect Brody's role as leader of the team, he was quite adamant he was fine with the 'one and done' nature of his short tenure as a Ranger, but he had also offered to take a more active role in the training duties as well as forging the ninja stars in order to take some pressure off Brody during this crucial time in his education. Brody for his part was quite happy with the arrangement. The others…well…it depended on when you asked them!

Sarah lunged towards Dane with her sword outstretched, only for him to step and twist so that the blade missed him by mere millimetres. He slapped her wrist as she went past, and she found herself unable to hold the sword, which went flying, narrowly missing Preston who was sitting by the fence a little way off. Dane finished by sweeping her legs out from under her, letting her crash hard to the ground. The whole manoeuvre was so fast that it didn't even look like he had done much of anything and Sarah had more or less just thrown her sword away and fallen to the ground all by herself!

Calvin came up behind him, wrapping his arm around his neck, cinching in a rear naked choke, but he seemed to let go almost as quickly. Unseen by the others, Dane had jabbed a few choice pressure points with his fingers, disabling his arm, before falling to his knees and jamming a couple of fingers into Calvin's leg. The Yellow Ranger fell to the ground, his leg now useless.

"So you see, it's not necessarily the biggest or flashiest moves that win the day." Dane said with a smile as he looked around the others, who were just staring in awe. "It might look super cool to hit someone with a jumping spin kick, but if the guy hits the ground and stays there with only a simple move, it leaves you with so much more energy for the next guy."

"OK, duly noted." Calvin stated, flopping around on the ground. "Um…would you mind undoing what you just did to my arm and my leg?"

"Sure thing." Dane said as he knelt down and got to work, releasing the paralysis he had inflicted on the unfortunate teenager. Sarah was helped to her feet by Preston.

"Did I ever doubt Brody when he said that his dad was the greatest ninja that ever lived?" She asked him. "Because if I did, feel free to slap me upside the head."

"Well, I don't know about the best that ever lived." Dane said rather humbly. "But I like to think there was a reason Kanoi was seriously considering me as his replacement. Alright, everyone, take a few minutes, get some water."

They all nodded and wandered off to get some rest. Sarah looked to the others.

"Say, does anyone know where Levi is?" She asked them. "I thought he was meant to be training with us."

"He texted me saying something about some singer he met." Brody told them. "He said he might be a little late."

"Ah, speak of the devil!" Preston said as he pointed towards Levi's car, which was just pulling up into the yard. He got out and started walking towards them, at which the Rangers all started to assemble around Preston. The Blue Ranger's eyes opened wide as he watched him approach, and his mouth hung open. "Uh…you guys are seeing this right?"

"That guy we saw at the school was Levi?" Hayley asked. The Gold Ranger approached them with a smile on his face.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm a little late." Levi greeted them.

"Son…five minutes is 'a little late', your friends have already been practicing for an hour." Dane said, struggling between his attempt to reprimand his son for setting a bad example to the others and laughing at his ridiculous outfit.

"Yeah, we got your text." Brody said, staring at him in a way that betrayed his confusion. "Um…what's all this about?"

"I met this amazing singer called Jess, she has a great voice, I really think she could go all the way so I said I'd help her out! She even wrote a song for us to sing together!"

Preston took the parchment from him and started to read it. Levi could see the way they were all staring at him.

"Look, I know how fortunate I've been. If The General hadn't found me busking I'd probably still be on that street corner in Texas." Levi explained to them. "I know this business can be tough and a lot of people have given me some really fortunate breaks so when I get a chance I like to pay it forward. Kind of my way of giving back for all the good luck I've had."

"That's…great." Sarah said, nodding as they all continued to squirm somewhat. Levi just sighed.

"So why do I feel like there's some kind of massive elephant in the room?" He asked them. None of them really knew how to address the issue, and it ended up falling to Hayley to be the one to bring it up.

"It has to be asked…what's up with the clothes?" She asked him.

"Oh, uh…Jess picked it out for me. She thinks it's a good look for me." Levi told them.

"Compared to what?" Calvin asked him.

"What's that meant to mean?" He asked.

"Are you sure that's even you?" Brody asked him. "I mean it looks…well…it's kind of…"

"It looks like a Skulgator ate a paint factory then threw up!" Calvin blurted out. Levi was a bit taken aback, but given the barely contained sniggers from everyone, including his dad, suggested most of them were of similar mind.

"It's just…trying something different." Levi told them. "I mean, is it a bad thing not being a cowboy all the time?"

"Levi, you ARE a cowboy!" Dane told him. "I know I'd love it if you were a bit more like the little boy I remember from before but you're a man now and the fact is…you've been Levi Weston a lot longer than you've been anything else."

"This song isn't exactly you either." Preston told him. "I mean have you read these lyrics? Eva Noh, Ta She meh…and it goes on. Most of it is just gibberish."

"Hell, even I don't understand that and I'm the girl that can talk to pretty much anything!" Hayley agreed, hearing the bizarre words. The power she gained from the Ninja Steel allowed her to understand any form of communication if she was exposed to it for a short period of time. Her mind just made the connections necessary to understand it. So far it had worked on everything from Preston's pet rabbit Aloha Mora to the as-yet unidentified language Psycho Green spoke. The only way she could think of that it wouldn't work was if the words weren't actual words.

"Hey, I might have made my name in country/rock fusion but my musical taste is very varied. I have everything from Beethoven to Rob Zombie in my record collection!" Levi told them a little defensively. He had to admit, he was a little sceptical himself about the whole thing but he felt like he owed it to Jess to give it a shot. "Besides, it's only one performance right? Haven't you always heard that variety is the spice of life?"

"Well yeah, but…there's spice and there's spice." Calvin stated. "I tried the Ghost Chilli Hellfire Burrito once and believe me, that was no fun going in OR coming back out!"

"That was just lovely." Hayley sighed, forcing a smile as she put her arm around him. "My boyfriend everyone!"

"Look, I know we're kidding around a little." Dane told his son, trying to be a little more diplomatic about it. "But the thing is, do you really think it's a good idea to try and be something you're not?"

Levi by now had his fill. He could understand his friends didn't mean any harm and if anything probably had good intentions, but between his fight with Mary earlier and the guilt he felt over his misunderstanding with Mary, he really could live without them making fun of him too. He snatched the sheet music back from Preston.

"Alright, fine, don't come to the performance!" He snorted. "I guess I'll see you guys at school."

"Come on Levi, we were only teasing!" Sarah said apologetically as he stormed back to his car, slamming the door. He sped away leaving them behind. "Man, he really took that all personally."

"Preston, are you alright?" Brody asked, looking at the Blue Ranger. Preston just shook his head.

"It's…probably nothing but…I feel like I've heard those lyrics before." He told them, sitting down and pulling out his spell book.

"Alright, well…I guess the rest of us should get back to it." Dane answered to a chorus of groans.

Back at the Marx house, Laura was working through more of her work, trying to get 'caught up' as Keith would no doubt put it. Her division was easily weeks ahead of schedule and hundreds of thousands ahead on budget, but Keith was the kind of guy that wanted to make a big impression and move on before he started to get settled. If a project was going to take longer than six months, he had no interest because he didn't intend to be around long enough before his next promotion for it to matter. She heard a knock on the door. She rolled her eyes, figuring it was Trevor. She heard him leave the house and presumed he had gone to clear his head after the fight. She figured he'd probably forgotten his key and now couldn't get back in.

"I'm just coming." She called out. She got to the door and opened it, finding Spike standing on the doorstep. "Spike, hi."

"Hi Mrs Marx, how are you feeling?" Spike asked.

"Kind of like I've been through tumble dryer." She chuckled, letting him in. "Still, I should be back to the swing of things soon."

"That's good to hear." Spike told her. "I was just coming by to tell Trevor that it's alright, he can come back soon too."

"I'm sorry?" She asked him.

"It turns out Gary had a lot more on him than just a restraining order. They found an unregistered weapon. Between that and his previous conviction he was only too happy to make a deal to drop his complaint." Spike explained.

"Wait…complaint?" Laura asked. "Spike, what the hell are you talking about?"

Spike suddenly realised he'd just put his size tens right in his mouth. Clearly Laura didn't know about the complaint or the disciplinary hearing.

"Uh…"

"Spike!" She asked him. "What are you talking about? What complaint?"

"Trevor and I attended a domestic case at the university recently. Trevor might have…gotten a little rough with the guy." Spike told her reluctantly. She just blinked in astonishment.

"He…he told me he took personal time to look after me." She told him. "You mean to say he was SUSPENDED?"

"Um…"

"Spike, sit your butt on the couch right now!" She ordered him. Spike gulped and obeyed without question. "Now, start from the top. What did my husband do to get himself suspended?"

Back at the Romero Farm, the team were all stretching off after training. Preston suddenly jumped up from his seat, causing them all to look round.

"Oh man...oh man…this isn't good!" Preston rushed out.

"What is it Pres?" Sarah asked.

"Guys, I knew I had seen those lyrics before! It's in this book!" Preston told them, showing them his spell book.

"Wait…you're saying that Jess just so happened to write a song that is in fact a real spell?" Calvin asked.

"Why do I doubt that very much?" Hayley agreed. "It sounds like more than a little bit of a coincidence."

"What does the spell do?" Brody asked.

"It's called a symmetric spell. It causes the person that recites it to reverse their personality." Brody explained. "It says here in the Lion Galaxy sometimes they would force prisoners of war to sing it so they would join their own army and fight against their own side!"

They all quickly started trying to dial Levi, but all of them found their phones going straight through to his voicemail.

"Damn it, his phone's going straight to voicemail!" Sarah complained. "Either he's about to start his performance or he's really pissed about us teasing him!"

"He's not answering his Ninja Comm either!" Brody added.

"Guys, this is bad!" Preston told them. "We need to stop him before he finishes singing that song!"


	5. Performance Anxiety

Levi was standing, waiting to begin his performance with Jess as she finished up her own set. Just as he had suggested, she had put up posters to advertise the fact she'd be performing with him to attract a crowd, and he'd stick around somewhere he could be seen to make sure people didn't think it was a hoax, but let her perform some of her own work in order to let people hear her first and get some exposure.

He shuffled his feet and readjusted his jacket a little as he watched her. It had been a while since he had felt this nervous or uncomfortable about a performance. He was still reeling from his fight with Mary and the fact his friends didn't support his effort to help Jess, but there was a little something else in it. He couldn't stop thinking about some of the things everyone had said to him. Mary had commented on his clothes, and now his friends had too, though they had gone a lot further with their criticism. In many ways, he could understand their concern, it was very different from what he was used to.

He couldn't help thinking about his early career and performances. Despite his success and despite his talent, the fact was a lot of people didn't realise his meteoric rise to fame wasn't anything like as easy and straightforward as many people thought. He'd always had talent, which was always the biggest starting point for the industry, but a lot of people didn't really realise how much tweaking and fine-tuning went into creating a successful act. Music hadn't been an auditory medium since long before the advent of the MTV generation. As soon as broadcast became a thing, it was no longer simply about music but the whole performance. It wasn't just a case of creating a musician, but a package to sell! While his own press would have people believe that Levi went straight from busking on the streets to the world stage, the fact was that there were a few false-starts along the way.

At first, The General had been hesitant to go the Country route. While it was an obvious choice given their home in Texas, there were much bigger markets and other styles were more popular. Levi was thankful that his foray into rap existed only as a YouTube video that still only had a four-figure viewing score. It became very clear he just could not rap to save his life! The attempt to use a boyband as a vehicle for him fell flat when the other four members realised that Levi was always being singled out and given the focus and bailed before the first album could be recorded. His attempt to go the rock route was fun, and it did give him some ideas he carried over into his fusion style later but he ultimately didn't win over an audience.

Even when they started to get the music right there was a lot of issue with the rest of the image. There was the leather jacket phase; there was the tuxedo phase that made it look like he had seen one too many Frank Sinatra movies. The less said about his 'grunge' phase the better, but when they finally found that people liked the country thing from Levi, there were stumbling blocks. His first appearances featured everything from leather chaps and bolo ties right through to a rhinestone-encrusted monstrosity that looked like someone had ticked off a list of every "Southern Gentleman Singer" stereotype that had ever existed! But it was the one time that Levi got on stage in his own clothes, unable to bring himself to wear the "glitter-ball nightmare" as he'd come to know it that he finally found the formula that worked. It seemed an audience was a very astute beast and could see through the false faces he was being presented as and wholeheartedly approved when he finally accepted the real Levi. It was known as 'keeping it real' in some circles, but it turned out the image that worked was the one closest to Levi in real life.

He was still not entirely comfortable with the new clothes, and although he'd read over the sheet music to make sure he knew the song enough to play it, he really did not feel like this was him, and he was happy that it was going to be a one-off performance. He'd done a few sketches on late-night shows and charity telethons that were outside his usual comfort zone, and he figured that if they got a good recording they could forward to some of his contacts could help Jess, it would be worth it for one night. Jess finished her song and waved him over.

"Thank you, you've been really kind." She announced. "But I know it's not just me you're here to see. Everyone please welcome my friend, Levi Weston!"

There was some applause as Levi came across, making his way to a stool as Jess put away her guitar and took up position behind a keyboard. He could see some of the reactions from people to his new look and it reminded him of some of those small venues he'd been laughed out of in the early days. He picked up the guitar, made sure it was tuned, and opened up his sheet music.

"This song was written by my talented friend here. I hope you like it." Levi told them, before beginning to strum the first cords. People looked more confused than either happy or unhappy. It wasn't what they would expect from Levi that was for sure. It wasn't long though before that changed. As soon as the lyrics started, a lot of those confused looks became looks of disapproval, almost disgust in some cases. The first members of the audience started to walk away shortly afterwards.

"This is garbage!" Someone shouted out. Levi still had his haters and some critics were hardly fans, but he hadn't heard a critique that direct in a long time.

"Jess, I don't think they like it!" Levi shouted back to her.

"It gets better! Just keep going!" She beckoned him. Levi turned his attention back to the sheet music, and while he heard a lot more 'helpful suggestions', including one that involved his music stand that sounded incredibly painful, he started to feel like he should just cut his losses and Jess' and just stop. However, he found his eyes locked to the music, and his fingers continuing to strum even when he felt like he just wanted it to be over. His mind started to cloud over and all he could think about was finishing the song, no matter what!

At the Marx house, Spike was on the couch, feeling a lot like the suspects he was used to interviewing as Laura paced the living room. He had thought he was coming to deliver good news by telling them that Gary had been convinced not to press charges or file a complaint against Trevor. He had no idea that Trevor hadn't even told her he was suspended.

He wasn't sure how he had managed to keep it from her. He had told her he was taking personal leave to help her recover from the car accident, but that he had gambled on the situation being resolved before he had to explain why he was not going to work...that just seemed like it was doomed to failure. Spike would perhaps have wondered what his long-term plans were if they department hadn't managed to resolve this quickly and the process had taken more than a couple of weeks, it if wasn't for an irate and clearly very distressed Laura stressing out in front of his eyes.

"So you're telling me that my husband, a man with multiple commendations and awards from the department was under investigation for beating a teenager within an inch of his life?" Laura asked him.

"Gary's...21 actually." Spike murmured. Laura just threw her hands up.

"That doesn't make it any better Spike!" She screamed. "I can't believe this, I really can't believe this. I knew he was having a tough time recently but first Keith and now this?"

"You know about him attacking Keith?" Spike asked. He felt his stomach wrenching when he saw her face. "You...didn't know...did you?"

"He said he threatened Keith!" She screamed at him.

"Well...he did." Spike gulped. "After...tossing him around the lawn like a dog with a chew toy first."

"Oh, this just gets better and better!" She ranted. "I knew he'd been having a hard time lately, he's had a few more episodes than normal."

"Episodes?" Spike asked her. It was now Laura's turn to realise she'd said more than she intended to.

"Normally he's fine, but every now and then Trevor has...episodes." She told him. "It's something to do with his time in Afghanistan. I don't know what happened, he'd already been through treatment before I met him, but whatever happened to him out there, every now and then something will happen and he'll have a rough time. Usually its night terrors, sometimes panic attacks, but he's normally fine."

"I knew he'd been in the military, but he never told me about..."

"Yeah, he doesn't talk about it with me either." She answered. "I'm not even entirely sure if it's because he doesn't want to talk about it or because he can't talk about it."

"OK, right...I think we can agree something is seriously wrong." Spike said sympathetically. "I've tried to cover for him but even that Agent Sterling seems to be on his case about something."

"Trevor's never been great at asking for help. He only let me know about his episodes when I saw it for myself. If he's actually snapping and taking it out on other people..." She said, beginning to look worried. "Maybe he needs something more...uh...professional than we can offer."

"It's probably not a bad idea." Spike told her. "But first we should probably try and talk to him. After he took a swing at me, I don't think trying to make him do it if he doesn't want to is going to be too productive."

"He took a swing at YOU?" Laura asked. Spike just nodded.

"Thank God I know how to block!" Spike answered as she dialled her phone.

"Damn it. It's switched off." She told him, before getting her jacket. "You still have the cruiser right?"

"Sure." Spike answered, pulling out his keys. "Come on, we'll check out his usual hang-outs."

The Rangers arrived at the plaza, hearing music before they arrived. At least...they thought it was MEANT to be music! They were delayed somewhat by the crowd of people pushing the opposite direction.

"I'm starting to doubt Levi's taste in music." Hayley commented. "I thought he said this Jess was meant to be good!"

"Guys, we need to stop them!" Preston reminded them. "If we don't get there before they finish..."

They got to the plaza, rounding the corner, seeing Jess and Levi playing. Levi had a stony, distant look on his face. It was only another few moments before they stopped playing.

"Guys...do you think we're too late?" Calvin asked, before Levi stood up, throwing the guitar at them. They all scattered as it smashed into the ground. "OK, we're definitely too late!"

"You definitely are Rangers! The Gold Ranger is now mine!" Jess told them, stepping around the keyboard. She started to glow purple for a moment, before shifting shape and turning back into her original form. Spyclops laughed as she confronted them.

"Now I can see why you went with the disguise." Brody commented. "Levi! You need to fight!"

"Oh, I intend to do more than just fight!" Levi told him. "I'm going to destroy all of you!"

"We don't want to hurt you Levi." Brody told him.

"Preston, is there some way to reverse the spell?" Sarah asked him.

"It's a symmetric spell. The only way to counter it is to read it backwards." Preston told her. "Aw man, I left my spell book back at the farm! I need the words or I can't read them backwards."

"Wait, the sheet music!" Sarah called out. "The sheet music is the spell! We just need to..."

"You mean THIS sheet music?" Spyclops asked them. Levi picked it up off the stand, tearing it into pieces before scattering the pieces to the wind. Hayley just looked to them.

"Guys...maybe discussing the one thing we needed to break the spell in front of the monster is NOT the best idea?" She suggested.

"Oops!" Sarah replied sheepishly. Brody pulled out his morpher.

"We need that sheet music. Preston, Sarah, gather up those pieces." He instructed them. "Calvin, Hayley, take care of umbrella head here. If we can't get the spell sheet, maybe destroying her will end her spell. I'll take care of Levi."

"Brody, are you sure you can do this?" Calvin asked him as Levi morphed. "I mean...that is your brother. We'd understand..."

"That's why it HAS to be me." Brody explained as they morphed. "I don't want to see him hurt, but if anyone has to take him down, it has to be me!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was on the stage, whipping up the audience as the battle began. He was delighted to be back in his element once again, creating the show he loved.

"And there you have it ladies and gentlemen, divide and conquer! The Rangers, who are so famous for their ability to fight together are forced to divide their attention!" Cosmo explained. "The best part is...shhh...they don't even know that it isn't even Spyclops' spell! Destroying her will do nothing!"

There was a roar of laughter from the crowd about this. It was something they had seen more than once on the show. The general rule of thumb was that if a spell caster was destroyed, any spells they had in play ended because their will was no longer around to maintain them. Of course, the Rangers didn't know that Spyclops wasn't the spell caster. Cosmo was perfectly certain the closest Spyclops ever came to casting a spell in her life was giving Levi the spell sheet.

"With the Pink and Blue Rangers off chasing the wind and the Yellow and White Rangers chasing a wild goose, the Red and Gold Ranger are about to destroy each other!" He screamed. "There's surely nothing that can turn things around for the Rangers now!"

In a bar, elsewhere in the city, Trevor finished downing a drink, before sliding his glass to the bartender.

"Same again." He told him.

"Look pal, don't you think..."

"I said SAME...AGAIN!" He put down flatly. The bar tender sighed and took the glass, putting it in the washer, before getting another. He filled it with ice and ran it under the tap, before sliding the pint of water over to Trevor.

"You know I have a business to run! Sooner or later you're going to need to order a real drink or find somewhere else to sulk!" He quipped. Trevor understood his point. Like most places in the modern era, this bar offered drinking water free of charge and he didn't really want people taking up space if they weren't buying anything. Of course given the fact that he was losing control to Psycho Green, he didn't want to take any more chances than he needed to and figured adding alcohol to the mix was probably not the wisest idea.

He was just starting to take a sip, looking up to the screen where they were showing the local baseball team's game when the screen switched.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is a breaking news bulletin!" The reporter announced. "We're just starting to get reports that the Rangers are in battle once again in Summer Cove, taking on one of Madame Odious' latest monsters."

Trevor tensed up hearing this as the report switched to footage from the battle.

"This isn't the most surprising thing about the story. The most surprising thing is this time it seems that two of the Rangers are in fact fighting EACH OTHER!" The newscaster went on to report. The footage switched to some footage of Brody and Levi fighting. Levi opened fire at Brody, many of his shots missing and hitting numerous buildings around him. There was no telling where those shots would end up!

As a cop, Trevor had seen more than once the kind of thing that could happen when people were so irresponsible with weapons. A big problem was people who knew little about firearms buying the largest, most powerful gun they could, not realising that when they opened fire in self defence that overly powerful weapons was what was known as over-penetration. A shot fired going through the intended target and carrying on a destructive path or in some cases even missing the intended target but continuing on through windows, doors, even sometimes walls and hitting people on the other side! Many apartment blocks did not have particularly thick walls and there were numerous cases where someone was shot purely because someone in an adjoining apartment fired a shot that went through the wall. Of course, that didn't stop them being responsible for the results of firing the round anyway. The Rangers were once again throwing around firepower capable of tearing through armour with ease seemingly with no regard for the consequences.

"As yet, we don't know the reason for this turn of events, but it seems that the Red and Gold Ranger are more interested in fighting each other than the monster that is attacking the city!" The reporter continued. "We'll bring you updates on this story..."

Trevor had heard enough. He got up and strode out of the bar. The barman picked up his water.

"Finally." He muttered. "Maybe now I can get a paying customer on that stool."

Just then, there was a loud boom and everyone in the bar jumped, startled by the explosion and the accompanying green flash.


	6. Umbrella Term

Brody dove for cover, running and weaving as he tried to lead Levi away from crowded areas towards a nearby park. Although it was still comparatively early in the evening it wasn't as though Levi was being particularly quiet or subtle with his Rockstorm Blaster and so he was pretty sure that people would clear out long before they got there if they knew what was good for them. The only thing he was mindful of right now was the fact that since he had been affected by the spell, Levi didn't seem to be too concerned about collateral damage.

It was always one of the toughest challenges about being a Ranger. They couldn't really afford to pull punches considering the fact that many of their enemies were more than capable of withstanding levels of damage surpassing some of the most powerful weapons readily available. The Ranger arsenal itself was often times far more powerful than anything openly available and even available to the military. It meant that stray shots were definitely a problem and while they tried their best and trained as much as possible to ensure that they didn't miss their intended targets, unfortunately mistakes would always be made. Hell, by the time the Megazords came out, there really wasn't much could be done to avoid extensive property damage and the inevitable casualties that resulted from that. Unfortunately it didn't take long for Brody to confirm that when the spell, which was said to reverse a person's alignment, causing them to fight for the opposite side, also meant he no longer had the same reluctance to ensure his fire was concentrated on target.

"Brody, what are you doing?" Dane called through the communicator.

"I'm leading him away from bystanders!" Brody told him. "I'm trying to get him somewhere I can concentrate on…"

"Brody, you can't afford to play with kid gloves, you know how powerful Levi is!" Dane told him. "The longer you prolong this fight, the more likely it is people will get hurt!"

"Just…try to limit what he can throw my way!" Brody told them.

"I'm currently locking out Levi's access to most of his arsenal." Redbot confirmed. "I've already locked out his access to the Lion Fire Armour and his Megazord, but he's already got his Storm Star…"

"Yeah, I'd kind of noticed that!" Brody said as he was thrown high into the air and dumped on the ground by a whirlwind. "Just…keep working on it! Try to stop him getting his hands on any more toys before he remembers he has them!"

"Son, I appreciate what you're doing, but you can't…"

"Dad, I've got this, trust me!" Brody interrupted him. "Guys, how's breaking the spell coming?"

"We're still having a few problems with umbrella head over here!" Calvin told him as Spyclops ran towards him, her head spinning around and the teeth around the perimeter of her head turning it into a kind of buzz saw. Calvin blocked with his sword as long as he could as she drove him backwards. "Turns out that umbrella does more than just keep the rain off!"

Calvin's grip finally failed and he was struck down by the attack. Hayley opened fire with her Ninja Blaster, but Spyclops put her head down, and the blasts rebounded off the umbrella in all directions.

"It definitely does more than keep the rain off!" Hayley commented, before Spyclops' eye powered up, firing off a blast, which hit Hayley hard, knocking the wind out of her. "We'll…keep you updated!"

"Please do!" Brody replied a little impatiently as he got to a picnic area of the park, hoping to use the furniture to obscure Levi's view a little. He had little doubt that Levi's long-range abilities and arsenal exceeded his own, so if he could cut down his field of view a little maybe he could draw him in and engage him up close. He dived over a picnic table, rolling back to his feet amid a flurry of blasts. "How are you guys doing with the sheet music?"

"Pretty good…I think." Preston told him. "I've got two pieces here, and I've got my eye on another. How about you Sarah?"

"I've got three in my hand." She told him as she leapt across some traffic in pursuit of a piece that had caught on the wind. "That means we've nearly got them all."

"How do you figure that?" Preston asked.

"He the sheet music in half three times." Sarah explained. "That means it tore into eight pieces!"

"Right, of course." Preston answered, flipping through the air and snatching a piece out of the wind. "Make that three, and I've got my eyes on another heading for the rooftops!"

"Keep your eyes on it Preston, we can't afford to let these get away!" Sarah called back. She managed to catch her piece, but had to sacrifice herself, launching herself into the path of an oncoming car. She was punted down the street, bouncing several times, sending sparks flying. "Ow…ow…ow…ow…ow…"

"Are you…?"

"I'm fine!" Sarah stated. "That's seven, you're chasing the last piece!"

"Guys, a little urgency in the pace would be appreciated!" Brody said, ducking and diving between the support struts of a gazebo, trying to frustrate Levi into closing in. He watched the Gold Ranger advancing and knew his plan was working, he just hoped that his friends could break the spell before he had to do anything he'd regret.

"Brody, you can't play peek-a-boo!" Dane rushed out. "I understand, I'd probably feel the same in your position, but you need to stop playing defence!"

"I'm doing what I can!" Brody told him as Levi finally closed in enough for Brody to surprise him. He launched himself forward, swinging for Levi with his sword. The Gold Ranger easily ducked it, but now they were too close for long-range weapons. Brody parried a few of Levi's strikes.

"Brody, get off the damn ropes and fight back!" Dane screamed at him.

"I'm trying…"

"No you're damn well not, I can see that from here!" Dane interrupted him. "Brody, what's the first rule of a fight!"

"Don't fight if you don't have to!" Brody grunted, struggling against Levi as their weapons locked. "I think we're a bit past that point…"

"What's the second rule?" Dane asked him.

"Dad, I don't have time…"

"WHAT'S THE SECOND RULE?" Dane barked.

"If you must fight, finish the fight as quickly and safely to yourself and others as you can." Brody responded.

"Right! Shut the fight down as quickly and safely to yourself and others as possible! THEN you can worry about if the other guy will be alright!" Dane told him sternly. "I know you don't want to Brody, but the best thing you can do is TAKE…LEVI…DOWN!"

"Mr Romero, you can't ask him to do that!" Redbot said in horror. "Levi is his brother…"

"And he's my son!" Dane reminded him. "Do you think I want to order him to do this? I could lose one or both my sons, I really don't want to see that happen! Brody, you have to…Brody…BRODY!"

He screamed into the communicator, but Brody had muted his channel. He knew his dad was giving him the best tactical advice in the situation. The best thing for him to do was to take Levi down and out and then worry about whether or not he would recover later, but in the heat of the moment, he made a judgement call. He would buy his friends as much time as he could before he needed to make that decision.

"Brody, just hang on a little while longer, I'm catching up to the last piece!" Preston told him. "I've almost got it…"

He caught it just as a foot came down onto the piece of paper, pinning it to the roof. Preston gulped, certain he had seen that boot before. He panned slowly up the leg, looking up into Psycho Green's helmet.

"Preston, do you have it?" Sarah asked. "Preston? Preston!"

"Yeah, kinda…um…guys…we kind of have a new problem!" He told them.

"What kind of problem?" Sarah asked. Just then, Preston flew off the rooftop, landing right beside her. A moment later, Psycho Green leapt off the rooftop, landing before her, sending shards of concrete flying as he did so. "Oh, that kind of problem! Guys, our not-so-jolly green friend is back!"

In another part of the city, Aaron came back into his apartment after a long day, exhausted but happy. His cell phone rang as he got to the door. He smiled as he heard the ring-tone, he had assigned it especially. He pressed the button, answering the call.

"You know, it has only been twenty minutes since we last saw each other." He stated. The person on the other end said something. "Yes, it's sweet that you're worried about me but I'm perfectly able to get back to the apartment on my own, no matter how hard you're pushing me in the gym."

This was something of a new thing for Aaron. He wasn't really an athletic person, he never had been. Throughout most of his academic career the only time he'd even been in a gym was when he took a wrong turn on the way to the Dean's office. However, over the last little while he'd started to make a few changes in his life, mostly for the better. He'd been encouraged to start working out, and he was noticing the benefits even in his work. It was surprising how much stamina just moving around on the deck of a ship was, especially when the weather took a turn.

"Well, I've just got to prepare dinner, and…hold on a second…Hayley? HAYLEY?" He didn't get an answer. "No, it appears I'm home first."

The person on the other end said something. Aaron just took a deep breath.

"I know, I know I'd love that too, it's just…" He could hear the person on the other end. "Yes, I really want that too, but you know that we have to approach this delicately."

The person on the other end said something that affected him deeply.

"Look, I'll…WE'LL tell her. Soon, I promise." Aaron assured her. "I just have to find the right moment, a time where things are…well…a little more on neutral ground. I don't want to blindside her."

He heard something on the other end.

"I know, and I agree. I promise we'll tell her soon." Aaron stated. "I love you too."

With that, he hung up the phone, putting it back in his pocket. Heading into the kitchen, he took his gym kit out of his bag, throwing it into the washing hamper to take down to the laundry later. He went to the fridge and started looking through the options available. He wanted Hayley to know about the new addition to his life. He just needed to find the best way to bring it up. Hayley had enough to worry about between school and applying for college.

Back at the battle site, Hayley powered up a Steel Slash, rushing at Spyclops.

"Time for some amateur dentistry!" She screamed, smashing off some of the teeth as Spyclops tried the buzz saw attack again. She reeled as she fell away from her.

"Hey! Just as well I get dental on my contract!" She squealed. Just then, Sarah and Preston both landed in a heap between them. Hayley and Calvin ran over to them.

"Hey, are you too alright?" She asked.

"Never…better." Sarah grunted out. Calvin looked up as a shadow descended on them.

"Guys, heads UP!" He called out. He and Hayley grabbed their fallen friends and quickly hauled them out the way just as Psycho Green slammed down, lightning arcing out from him as he arrived. He looked towards them and spoke to them in his strange language.

"I'm guessing I'm not missing much by not understanding that." Calvin asked, looking to Hayley. She just shook her head.

"Trust me, it's best you don't know." She assured him. "But needless to say it's not friendly!"

"Hey, who are you? This isn't a tag-team!" Spyclops screeched. "I'm not sharing the lime-light or a paycheck with anyone!"

She powered up her eye beam, blasting Psycho Green in the back. He hit the ground, only to stand back up slowly, his armour still smoking. He rounded on Spyclops, lightning sparking up all around him as his dagger came to his hand.

"Oh sh…"

She didn't get to finish her thought. Psycho Green rushed straight through her, causing her to explode before she even hit the ground. The Rangers just stared at him as he turned back towards them.

"Brody, the monster's been taken care of." Calvin told him. "Please tell me the spell's ended."

"Yeah, not so much!" Brody answered as he ducked a swipe that was surely aiming to send his head flying into the next county. Levi was most definitely not holding back, and Brody could only guess that it was the fact Redbot had locked him out from summoning any of the nastier toys in the Ranger arsenal that stopped him from enacting a full-on scorched earth policy on him. Given the savagery in every yell as Levi came for him, he was perfectly confident if he could, Levi would probably have a Megazord tap dancing on him by now. "Are you sure the monster's gone?"

"Pretty sure!" Hayley commented. She could still smell the burnt flesh in the air. "You don't get back up after that!"

"Right, then you have to use the spell!" Brody told them. "Preston, think you can manage it?"

"Sarah, give me those pieces!" He told her. They hurriedly started putting them together on the ground, trying to put them back into the right place. "Epatolles!"

The sheet music re-assembled, forming back into one sheet. Preston picked it up and sat cross-legged, pulling out his want.

"OK guys, this'll take a couple of minutes." Preston told them.

"Preston, I don't think we can really over-emphasise the urgency here!" Calvin said as he and Hayley battled with Psycho Green.

"Guys, I need to read this thing BACKWARDS! Can you cut me a little slack?" Preston told them. Sarah patted him on the shoulder.

"Whatever you need." She replied. "Brody, do you want me…?"

"Concentrate on Psycho Green!" He put down flatly. "That's an order!"

"Alright, if you insist." She responded, rushing to help her friends. "Preston, we'll buy you all the time we can!"

Brody was starting to feel the exhaustion of battle wearing on him now. Levi was battering him left and right, while he was still doing his best to mostly avoid or block any attacks, only striking back when absolutely necessary to get some space or to slow him down. He knew that if he kept up at this pace, it wouldn't be too much longer before he had to make a terrible choice between risking Levi's safety and his own life. His father had been right about the teachings of the ninja, they were very clear and very utilitarian on the standpoint of attacks. It didn't matter who attacked, the first and most important priority was to the ninja's own safety and those of anyone they were there to protect. With each passing moment, it was getting closer and closer to the time where it would be doubtful he'd even have the strength to strike Levi down. He pulled out his Element Star, fixing it in place and considered for a long moment whether or not he no longer had a choice. That moment was all Levi needed.

With a couple of well-placed kicks, the last one catching Brody right across the side of the head, he knocked the Red Ranger down to his knees. Levi powered up his Lightning Attack.

Brody looked up at him, staring straight into his visor, trying to catch his eyes.

"Levi…if you're in there…"

"What? Is this where you beg me to fight?" He asked. Brody shook his head.

"No." Brody told him, beginning to tear up. "I forgive you."

Just then, there was a flash from Levi's visor, and he dropped his weapon, clutching at his helmet and staggering. Brody watched as he fell to his knees. He breathed a sigh of relief as he realised his resilience had paid off. Preston must have completed the spell.

"What…what happened?" Levi asked. He looked to Brody, and could see the scorches on his suit. "Oh my God, Brody! What have I…?"

"It's fine Levi." Brody assured him, helping him up. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"But I almost…"

"Yeah, let's just be glad of the 'almost' part." Brody said, seeing that this was obviously weighing heavily on Levi. "Come on, we need to help the others!"

Back at the battle with Psycho Green, Preston had just joined his friends after completing the spell. Psycho Green ripped the sword from his grip, throwing it away, before throwing him into Sarah. Calvin rushed in, catching a kick as Psych Green lunged for him. He jammed a couple of fingers into his leg, but he looked to Psycho Green who just stared at his leg, before looking back up at him, then punching him in the face, bringing him down.

"OK, note to self." Calvin groaned. "Pressure points do NOT work if the other guy is wearing armour!"

Hayley placed the Lion Fire Disk, at which flame erupted around her, forming up into the armour. She ploughed into the evil warrior, their weapons burning through the air and sparking off each other as they clashed repeatedly.

"That's it Hayls!" Calvin called out in support as Sarah and Preston helped him away.

"Yeah, kick his ass!" Sarah screamed.

Hayley was done playing games. Psycho Green had been a plague on their lives for far too long already. Sacrificing taking a hit, she stepped through one of his swings that barely glanced off her ribs, testing the armour to its limits as the sword burned brightly, swinging it down, raking across his face. Splinters flew from his helmet and he fell to the ground, his face unable to be seen.

Hayley brought the sword up above her head, before Psycho Green drove a fist into the ground. In a flash of lightning, he knocked all the Rangers to the ground, except for Hayley who barely managed to stay on her feet thanks to the armour. By the time any of them could see again, he was gone.

"Son of a bitch!" Hayley called out. Calvin came to her side, putting his arm around her as she grabbed her ribs.

"Its fine babe." He assured her. "You'll get him next time."

"Yeah." She sighed. "Next time."

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was with his production staff in his office, going over the details of the show when Badonna and Odious strode in. It was clear that Odious wasn't happy, even before she grabbed one of the staffers, throwing him across the room to clear herself a space. Cosmo just gave her his usual grin.

"Ah, Madame Odious, I assume you're here to congratulate us on our ratings?" He asked. "We received quite a boost since last week."

"Spare me your prattle!" She snapped at him. "Why did you not grow Spyclops?"

"Why…because the audience didn't vote for it." He told her matter-of-factly. "The first rule of media is give the people what they want."

"I don't CARE what they voted for!" She screamed. "The Rangers were exhausted! Beaten! Injured…and you did NOTHING to press the advantage!"

"But Madame Odious, the rules are quite clear. If the audience votes for gigantification, then we gigantify."

"Who cares about the rules?" Badonna asked him. Cosmo just crossed his feet on the desk and gestured to the staffers to leave. He looked to them both casually as he rested his hands behind his head.

"Now, if we don't follow our own rules on the show, then how will we expect warriors to believe we'll honour our word with them?" Cosmo asked them. "You wouldn't want us to get a reputation for cheating now would you?"

"You insolent…"

"No!" Odious said as she put her hand across Badonna's chest. "He may be repugnant, but he has a point. The only reason anyone risks their lives for us is they believe we will keep our word and honour their contracts. We'll never get anyone to fight for us if we don't follow the rules. Or at least…appear to."

She glared at Cosmo in a chilling manner, tossing down a file.

"This monster is next." She told him. "Don't bother arguing, I've already contacted him. He'll really make a big splash. Oh, and find some way to…influence the voting mechanism. We don't necessarily have to obey the rules, we just have to appear to."

As they swept from the room, Cosmo smiled and lit up a cigar, before throwing a remote control onto the desk.

"What makes you think I already don't?" He asked.

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers waited around, almost bored as they awaited something else coming. Brody finally checked the watch function on his Data-Comm, before sighing.

"Well, I think twenty minutes is about the limit." He told them. "There's no way Cosmo would have twenty minutes of dead air time on one of his shows. If he hasn't sent anything by now he's not going to."

"I was expecting a Skullgator at least." Sarah commented. "Still, never let it be said I complain if I get to avoid a fight."

"Speaking of which, I really should get home." Hayley replied. "Dad will be wondering where I am."

"Come on, I'll take you home." Calvin told her as they all walked away. After a moment, some of the debris shifted, and someone who had been hiding from the danger of the battle finally came out.

They saw some shards lying on the ground where Psycho Green had fallen. Bending down, the stranger picked up the largest piece, before running away.


	7. Sensei Strains

Hayley got back to her dad's apartment, but unlike when she was at her mom's, she didn't really need to worry about sneaking back in. Her dad had a very laisse faire attitude to life in general and he had a somewhat chaotic timetable himself so one of the benefits of it being his turn to have her was that she had a lot more freedom to come and go. She was, if anything, a little surprised that he had actually gotten home first. That said, that was only the first surprise.

Coming in, she could smell something cooking. Her dad ate, but to call what he ate cooking was somewhat subjective in many instances. As she closed the door though, she could definitely smell something and it most definitely wasn't microwaved TV dinners or Ramen Noodles. More than that, it actually smelled pretty damn good!

"Ah, you're back, I was just about to call and see if you wanted me to leave a plate out for you!" She heard Aaron calling through from the kitchen. "Come on in, I'll fix you up a plate, we can eat together!"

"Sure thing dad." She replied, putting her bag aside and heading through to the kitchen. When she got there, she found Aaron standing over a couple of pots, beginning to portion out some food. She furrowed her brows. "Dad, are you…did you lose weight?"

"Well, I suppose I have. Why did you not believe me that I've been working out more?" He asked her. She just nodded gently.

"To be honest…no I didn't." She replied.

"Well, I don't claim to be any danger to the Mr Universe throne, but I'm definitely feeling the benefits." He told her.

"Yeah, it…it definitely shows!" She responded. She'd only seen him briefly the previous night, between arriving late and being tired she had more or less gone straight to her bed with her dinner. She hadn't really paid much attention to her dad when she got in, but she was starting to wonder how she had missed it. He still was a little on the heavy side for someone his height and age, but it looked like he was easily down a good ten, perhaps fifteen pounds from the last time she'd seen him.

"What can I say? I just made a couple of little changes for the better." He told her, handing her a plate. "A little exercise here, a little better food there and it pretty quickly adds up. Beef Stroganoff!"

"Beef…wait…you made this?" She asked him.

"Why is that so hard to believe?" He asked her.

"No offence but, you weren't always particularly picky about food." She reminded him. "I once caught you sniffing a three-day-old sub before eating it."

"Well, we're never too old to learn to treat ourselves a little better are we?" He asked her, dishing up his own plate. He and Hayley headed through to the living room, sitting by the small folding table. Aaron sat and watched Hayley for a little while expectantly, it took her a moment to realise he was waiting for her to try it. She took a small amount of rice and beef, popping it into her mouth. "Well, what do you think?"

"Dad, this is…this is incredible!" She commented, her eyes growing wide. "I didn't know you could…where did you learn to do this?"

"Oh, I just picked it up." He told her as she started eating. He ate a little bit himself, but was still watching her, wondering how to bring up the next part. "So…do you have anything planned for the weekend?"

"I'm sorry?" She asked him.

"Well, it's been a while, I thought maybe we could spend a day together." He told her. He saw the way she was looking at him. "I mean…I could arrange something at the aquarium, you could bring your friends along! I could make a day of it!"

"Thanks dad, but we kind of already have plans." Hayley told him a little regretfully. "I'm not really too into it, but Levi kind of talked us all into going to some fishing contest at the lake."

"Fishing contest?" He asked.

"Yeah, Levi said he misses fishing at the lake near his old farm and there's some stupid contest that they have every year here to catch some so-called 'local legend' fish. Cruiser or something."

"Well, that sounds perfect! I could come along with you!" He suggested. Hayley looked to him.

"Really?" He asked her.

"Well, why not?" He asked her enthusiastically. "I mean, who better to help you catch something like that than Summer Cove's foremost expert on aquatic life? Besides, it's about time I met these new friends I keep hearing so much about."

"Well, as long as you're sure." She said. Aaron could sense she was a little reluctant to have her friends meet her dad, but then what teenager wasn't a little bit embarrassed by their parents? She'd feel comfortable around her friends and after a fun day maybe she might be a little more receptive to his news. It would also give him an opportunity to try out the latest upgrade settings of his drone in a more controlled setting.

"I'm sure dear." He told her with a huge smile on his face as he continued eating. "So, have you seen these Power Rangers I keep hearing so much about?"

"Oh, they pop up from time to time." Hayley responded. "But…uh…usually when they do I just try to keep my head down."

"That's probably for the best." Aaron answered. "That's my girl."

Over at the Romero farm, Brody and Dane ate in silence. Redbot didn't eat, so he just sat in the corner reading a book. Brody was still a little sore after the battle but he was happy enough with the way things turned out. However, after he came back and the team de-briefed before going their separate ways, it wasn't too difficult to notice that Dane hadn't said much of anything. Redbot understood enough about tension to know better than to get involved and just sat, reading his book.

"Pass the sauce please?" Brody asked. Dane took the ketchup bottle and slid it across to Brody. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Dane replied in a more mechanical, almost automatic way than felt sincere. Brody looked to him and then concentrated once more on his meal. They continued to eat in silence for a little longer before finally Dane spoke.

"So, that was…some battle today." He said, giving something of an assessment of things. Brody expected his dad to weigh in. He was grateful for any and all feedback, it was one of the reasons he and his friends got together after each battle to discuss how things went. It gave them an important forum to discuss what worked and what didn't work. Where mistakes were made that could have been potentially costly and how to ensure they weren't made again and also to figure out what could be improved on to make future battles easier and shape how they trained from then on. Dane was their sensei now. Since it was now his job to train them, it would only be natural for him to have ideas about what they could focus on.

"Yeah, it really was." Brody agreed. "Psycho Green might not work for Odious, but him getting involved was a real game-changer. We lucked out that other monster attacked him."

"Yeah, that was a lucky stroke." Dane agreed.

"We can't always rely on the bad guys turning on each other." Brody stated. "Splitting up isn't always a good plan, but we needed to…"

"What were you thinking?" Dane demanded. Redbot just looked between them both, before wordlessly getting up and leaving the room, taking his book with him. Brody just stared at him.

"Well, we had a couple of objectives to deal with at once." Brody continued. "Preston was the only one who could use the spell and Sarah's the fastest so sending them after the spell sheet…"

"You know what I'm talking about!" Dane said harshly. Brody could have predicted his dad wouldn't be happy about this. Not only had Brody gone against his explicit instructions in his fight with Levi, but when Dane wouldn't let up about it he had muted his dad's communications link. It was a move that was bound to upset him. "I told you that you needed…"

"I know what you told me dad!" Brody interrupted him. "I heard you the first time."

"Brody, do you think I liked giving you that order?" Dane asked him. "Brody, the teachings of ninjutsu are very clear about…"

"I know about the teachings of ninjutsu dad, I've read all the same texts you have!" Brody argued.

"Then perhaps you might like to explain why you ignored one of the most straightforward rules of engagement." Dane suggested. "Brody, no offence against your friends, they're all fine students and each of them is strong in their own right, but you and Levi have been training a lot longer than any of them has. You were the one that was most likely to be a match for Levi, never mind Psycho Green. What do you think could have happened if anything had happened to you?"

"Nothing did happen to me dad!" Brody reminded him. "Preston cast the spell…"

"And if he had been one second slower Levi would have killed you!" Dane reminded him. "Brody, you can't have restraint when your life is in danger! You can't hold back when the enemy in front of you isn't! I don't care if it's one of your friends, your brother, even if it's me! Your enemies will throw everything and anything they can at you and the only way…"

"And one of the rules of ninjutsu is that there are no rules that apply to every situation." Brody said sternly as he stood his ground. "Dad, you may be a ninja master and it's great that you're going to help us, but the fact is that when we're in battle it's us that is there, not you! I made a judgement call…"

"You made a STUPID call that almost got you killed!" Dane yelled at him. "I didn't want to see either of my sons harmed, but you were in control, Levi wasn't. He would have killed you without hesitation! You at least could have made the decision to…I don't know…break a leg or take out his arms or…something! I'm not saying I expected you to kill him…"

"But if that's what it would have taken?" Brody asked. Dane was silent at that point. He didn't want to say out loud that when push came to shove, that might have been the choice Brody needed to make. "I made a judgement call. I believed in my team enough to give them some time."

"I almost cost you everything!" Dane reiterated.

"Well it didn't dad!" Brody shouted as he grabbed his plate and got up from the table, heading to the kitchen. "And even if it did, it was my call to make!"

"I'm your sensei…"

"EXACTLY dad, you're the sensei!" Brody yelled, tossing his plate into the sink. "And I'm the Red Ranger! You might not like that and at times I sure as hell don't either, but that's where we are! In the field the decisions are mine to make and if they don't line up with the decisions you want me to make and I have to wear the consequences well then that's just the way things are!"

"Where are you going?" Dane asked as Brody headed for the door.

"I'm going to the lake." Brody told him. "I'm going for a swim to clear my head."

"We're not done talking…"

"Well I am!" Brody interrupted him, slamming the door as he left. Dane just sat back in his chair. He wished he hadn't gotten so angry at Brody. He just wanted him to understand the danger he put himself and the team in with his reluctance to do what he needed to. Today it worked out, but on another day, Brody's unwillingness to act might have cost more than just his own life. He picked up his fork, stabbing into his meal as he continued eating.

Back at the Marx house, Spike and Laura got back after driving around, searching in vain for Trevor. By now Laura was getting quite frantic.

"Alright, is there anyone we can call? Anyone he might have wanted to contact?" Spike asked her.

"Pretty much all of Trevor's friends are at the precinct." She told him, wracking her mind, trying to think of something she hadn't considered yet. "If he'd called one of them they'd have called it in as soon as we announced it on the radio."

"What about Hayley?" Spike asked. "Do you think she might have seen him?"

"No, I doubt it. She's with Aaron." She reminded him. Just then, they got into the living room, finding Trevor standing in the middle of the room. Laura immediately ran to him, wrapping her arms around him. He returned in kind.

"Laura, where have you been?" He asked. "You're meant to be resting, I was about to call the precinct!"

"We were out looking for you!" Spike told him. Trevor looked to Spike, and then to Laura.

"Looking for me?" He asked.

"Trevor, Spike…Spike told me about the suspension." Laura told him sympathetically. She was still far from happy with the fact that he hadn't told her about it, but right now having her husband back, safe and sound, she was willing to let the secrecy go for not.

"You did what?" Trevor asked.

"_The boy spoke to your wife?" _Psycho Green asked him. _"Why would he do that?" _Spike held up his hands defensively.

"I didn't know that you hadn't told her!" Spike said hurriedly.

"_A likely tale!"_ Psycho Green whispered. _"It was none of his business what you told your wife!"_

"I just came around to give you the good news. Gary had some outstanding warrants and a bit of contraband on him, so the department managed to cut him a deal. He's not filing a complaint with the department."

"He's not filing the complaint?" Trevor asked. Spike just sighed and nodded.

"It turns out he had way more to worry about on his record than you do." Spike informed him. "He'll have to do some anger management, no doubt some community service…"

"_Another slap on the wrist and no doubt he will do the same thing again, or find another victim!"_ Psycho Green taunted him. _"At least my way it would have ended for good! It's hard to raise your hands to someone when you no longer have hands!"_

"I know it's not ideal, but we can keep an eye out for him in our area." Spike assured him. "I doubt he'll be back again after that anyway, but if he does, we can make sure it'll stick."

"You shouldn't have told her…"

"He didn't tell me, not deliberately at least." Laura assured him. "Look, I know that something's been bothering you lately. I know that a lot has happened to us and…I guess I might not have made things much easier."

"Laura, you did absolutely nothing wrong." Trevor answered.

"Trevor, whatever's going on, whatever you're going through, we're in this together." She reminded him. "Whatever you need, we'll do it."

"I'll help out too, where I can." Spike agreed. Trevor sat on the couch, holding his head in his hands.

"I guess I've…let things build up a little." He told them.

"Maybe you should arrange some time with the department therapist?" Spike suggested, earning himself a nasty glare from Laura. "Not…that I'm saying you need it or anything but…they have those services for a reason and if things are getting on top of you…"

"Spike!"

"No, I…think that might be an idea." Trevor responded. "Maybe I have let things build up too much. Maybe I should talk to someone."

"Whatever you think will help." Laura answered, holding him tightly.

Over in Millport, Brody got to the local lake sometime after sun down. It was a beautiful, still night, and the waters of the lake rolled lazily, making the whole place look peaceful. This was what Brody remembered from his time as a kid, and it was just the thing he was sure would help him relax.

He stopped by a tree, beginning to get undressed. He waded out into the lake until he was waist deep, before diving in and beginning to swim. The water was brisk, bracing but not quite uncomfortable, and quite soothing to his injuries. He and Aiden had been encouraged to swim when they were younger. It was great exercise and with the lakes and creeks around, Dane also saw the wisdom in them learning how to keep themselves safe from the inherent dangers in their own back yard. Brody had definitely missed swimming on the Warrior Dome. It wasn't as though the slaves had many amenities like that. The closest they had was the sludge tank where much of the liquid waste would gather before being jettisoned into space at a convenient location. Funnily enough, no one was really queueing up around the block to swim in what was largely made up of the accumulated waste of the entire ship's population.

He understood his dad only wanted to protect him, and he appreciated his input. He was glad that his dad was back, not just because it meant he had his family once again but also because, while he had been able to teach the Rangers a lot on his own, it wasn't as though he was the legendary Dane Romero. He had stepped aside to let Dane take care of the training, knowing he had a wealth of knowledge and experience that he didn't. He knew that much of his own training and concepts came from his contact with the Ninja Steel, enhancing his skills and his capacity to learn and create new disciplines, but he did worry that by missing out on real experience the Rangers would be sold short in their lessons, something which could cost them in the field.

He did, though, still feel angry about his dad screaming at him over open comms about his fight with Aiden. His whole team could hear what was going on, and a part of him felt slighted. How would the team take him seriously in the field as leader if his dad was cutting him off at the ankles over the radio? He couldn't help but wonder if perhaps there was a reason the Wind Ninja Academy only had one sensei of each style and one headmaster.

He was distracted for a moment as he saw something flash by one of the banks. He pretended not to notice and continued to swim, finding a spot where he could get his feet to the bottom of the lake. He put his keen senses to work, trying to figure out what he had noticed. Again he saw something of a glint by one of the banks. He locked onto the location and ducked down, diving under the surface.

Over on the bank, the intruder was watching, looking for Brody. He had seen him duck down into the water, but he hadn't seen him come up yet. He kept his eyes on the lake, trying to figure out where he was going to come up. How long had it been now? How long could Brody hold his breath underwater? He craned his neck to look out, even for some signs of disturbance in the water. Had something happened? Was he in trouble? He started to head out towards the edge of the water, but getting near the waters' edge, he was suddenly grabbed from behind and pulled back, his feet being swept from under him.

"Looking for someone?" Brody asked, dropping down knee-first onto the intruder's ribcage, pinning him down. He saw the face and was completely confused. "Burt?"

"Get off me!" Burt coughed, winded by the attack. Brody adjusted his position, allowing him to breathe at least while still keeping him pinned.

"What are you doing here Burt?" Brody asked.

"It's a lake! It's not like you own it!" Burt protested. It was then that Brody noticed something in his hand. He grabbed Burt's hand, twisting his wrist, forcing him to release it. It was a cell phone, which on closer inspection was on camera mode. Brody opened the photos, and noticed something of an obvious theme. There were a lot of pictures, and all of them were of him! Various pictures of him in and around the farm since he had arrived.

"What the hell?" Brody asked. His distraction had given Burt enough room to wriggle out though, shoving Brody off him. He took off, running away at a pretty incredible pace. Brody doubted he'd catch him even if he was wearing shoes and didn't have to try and run across rocky ground barefoot. He'd heard Burt was a local marathon runner.

As Burt disappeared though, Brody looked back to the phone that Burt had left behind. He started scratching his head.


	8. Reading Diaries Is A Bad Idea

The following morning, Brody entered the school after parking up, heading towards the cafeteria. He found the rest of the team already there, gathered around a table, having some breakfast while talking to Levi. He was, mercifully, back in his own clothes, having seemingly learned his lesson. They were having a bit of a laugh, no doubt at his expense.

"Look, it really wasn't THAT bad." Levi told them.

"Dude, you looked like a reject from the MC Hammer winter collection." Preston laughed.

"I mean it wasn't..."

"I was wondering if that was an outfit or I just had really brightly-coloured cataracts." Sarah chuckled.

"OK, so...not my best look, I'll admit." Levi told them. "The less said about my 'Las Vegas Elvis' outfit..."

"Wait, what?" Calvin called out.

"Oh, this we have to see!" Hayley rushed out, pulling out her tablet. Levi scrambled to try and stop her, but the others held him back.

"Hey, that's not...oh come on that's not the point!" He whined as they started searching for early press photos and YouTube videos that Levi hadn't told them about. "Look, I do think that Jess...well...Spyclops had a point. I know who I am, I'm a cowboy, that's how I'm comfortable, but maybe changing things up a little every now and then isn't a bad idea."

"Especially when you look like this...!" Sarah squealed as she turned her tablet towards them, showing Levi in a boyband that never really took off. He had a kind of bizarre mop of curly hair and a leather jacket and jeans combo that looked like it was someone trying WAY too hard to be the guy that parents warned their daughters about. "...OH...MY...GOD!"

"Alright, alright, my early days had more than a few style misfires." Levi agreed. "But yeah, I just...I felt really badly that Jess wanted more than I did and I took making it up to her a little too far."

"Levi, we're just teasing, but we're just doing it cause we kind of like this Levi." Hayley assured him, patting his shoulder.

"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with trying something different once in a while, it's how we find changes for the better." Sarah told him. "But that doesn't mean you should change who you are as a person."

"Especially when that person is pretty awesome." Calvin agreed.

"Yeah, I don't know if I feel too awesome right now." Calvin said as he saw Mary walk in. She paused for a second as she saw him, before turning and trudging towards her classroom. Sarah just sighed.

"Look, I'm sure it's not that bad." She reassured him.

"I guess I'm going to find out." Levi answered as he twirled his hat onto his head. "Excuse me."

"Hey guys, what's up?" Brody asked.

"Levi was just making up for the whole image change." Hayley told him. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know, I still have a full complement of limbs and my head so I can't complain too much." Brody told them. "Guys, can...can I talk to you about something a little strange that's happening?"

"Sure you can!" Sarah told him. Brody pulled out a cell phone.

"Dude, did you just get a new phone?" Calvin asked him.

"It's not mine." Brody told them. Hayley just looked confused.

"Then who's is it?" She asked him. Brody didn't answer her. Instead he just put it down, showing them a picture of him. He scrolled through a few more pictures.

"Uh...OK, what gives?" Preston asked him.

"I was swimming at the lake last night. I went there to clear my head after the battle, but when I got there I noticed someone was watching me." Brody told them. "I got this phone off him, but he got away."

"Whose phone is it?" Sarah asked again. Brody just pulled in a little closer.

"It's my neighbour Burt's." He told them. "Look, he's got loads of pictures of us at the farm and of me in town and at the lake; it looks like he's following us."

"Us?" Sarah asked him.

"Yeah, I mean look at this picture, this is us training in the yard!" He told her, showing her some pictures. "I was thinking this might be something we need to look into. You know, ninja style."

"I'm sorry?" Preston asked him.

"Well, look, he's spying on us! He's got tons of photos of us!" Brody reiterated, showing them more pictures of them training. "It wouldn't be the first time Odious has used a mole, hell for weeks she WAS a mole posing as our principal!"

"You think Burt is a spy working for Odious?" Calvin said, spluttering a little, suppressing a laugh.

"Don't you think it's a little strange he's taking pictures of us training?" Brody asked him. "He must be sending them reports on our tactics and..."

"Brody...these aren't really pictures of us." Sarah pointed out. Brody furrowed his brows.

"Yeah they are." Brody said. "Look, you can see..."

"I think what she means is that it's not so much pictures of us but pictures we just happen to be in." Preston stated. Brody still didn't seem to be any the wiser. "Dude, you're front and centre in all these pictures."

"And most of them we're not in at all." Hayley explained. "They're not pictures of us, they're pictures of YOU!"

"So he's spying on me for her." Brody surmised, picking up the phone. "I don't know whether to be flattered or frightened if she thinks I'm that much of a threat."

The other four just looked around each other, a gesture Brody noticed.

"What?" He asked.

"Um...Brody...have you ever considered that maybe this isn't anything to do with Odious at all?" Calvin asked him.

"What do you mean?" Brody asked him. "Why else would he be taking pictures of me?"

"Seriously, he's not getting this?" Calvin asked. Preston shrugged. Hayley just threw some napkins at them both, before taking Brody's wrist and turning him so she could look to him seriously.

"Brody, this Burt...he's not much older than us is he?" She asked him.

"I think he was a senior last year." Brody answered with a shrug.

"Brody, have you ever considered maybe he just..." Sarah started to say, trying to think how best to say it. "...Maybe he wants those pictures for himself?"

"For himself, but why would he want...?" He suddenly blinked as a whole piggy bank full of pennies finally dropped. "...wait, you guys think...?"

They all just nodded.

"Seriously?" Brody asked. "Wait, but...he's...um...he..."

"Brody, I remembered you talking about Burt, so while we were in Zandar I asked Riley about him. He said he was a jerk to him all through school. He kept picking on him and ragging on him, he made his life hell." Sarah told him. "He also told him he admired him and was jealous of him when Riley saved him from a monster."

"Wait, Riley was 'brainiac'?" Brody asked. "But...what does that have to do with anything?"

"Have you ever heard of pulling pig tails?" Hayley asked him. Brody just shrugged.

"The only reason anyone had to pull someone's hair on the Warrior Dome was because it was a pretty easy way to control an opponent." Brody answered. The others finally realised that Brody had grown up very differently. The culture on the Warrior Dome was a lot more brutal. With Brody being the only human as far as they knew, and survival being the only real concern, certain social mores probably didn't exist there.

"Brody, sometimes when someone really likes someone but doesn't know how to tell them, they'll do just about anything to get their attention." Calvin explained. "Sometimes they'll be jerks to people just to get them to notice them."

"Well that's just...dumb!" Brody stated. "You guys seriously think Burt might be into me?"

"I'm just thinking, maybe it might be worth going to Burt and actually talking to him before we go all 'Operation Sledgehammer' on him." Hayley suggested.

"You know we'll be ready to move in if we're needed. You know I'm as ready for a fight as anyone." Sarah assured him. "But I think I'd rather find out if we're dealing with a spy or a dumb kid that doesn't know what to do about a crush before I go busting his skull."

"What did your dad suggest?" Hayley asked him. Brody just put the phone away.

"You guys are probably right. I should probably figure out what he wants first." Brody agreed, putting the phone away. As he walked away, Calvin just scratched his head.

"I'm not the only one that thinks he didn't tell his dad about any of this right?" Calvin asked.

"Nope." They all chorused together.

"Oh, right." He answered, turning his attention back to his bear claw. "Just checking."

Mrs Finch was in her class, beginning to write up some problems on the dry wipe board when Levi got to the door. He knocked on it gently, rousing her attention. She looked at him for a second, before she turned back to the board.

"So much for the new image." She commented rather coldly. Levi closed the door behind himself.

"Yeah, it...it really wasn't me." Levi admitted sadly. "Mary, about yesterday..."

"You really don't have to explain." She told him.

"I really think I do." Levi answered as he started to come up towards her. "Look, I'll admit, I sometimes get a little carried away with music. Honestly, I do. It's honestly one of the most important things in my life. It's more than just a hobby, it's more than even just a living, it's a passion. It always has been. When I was a kid and I was on the streets, there were times when it was literally all I had."

"Levi, you don't have to explain..."

"No, but I want to." Levi told her. "There were times when I was on the street as a kid that I didn't know if I was going to make it. I would sometimes go for days without being able to eat and when I did sometimes it was stuff that took almost as much energy to just keep down as I got from eating it. When the Westons found me, I was cold, I was hungry...but they took me in and it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Levi..."

"Without music, I...I probably literally wouldn't be standing here today." He told her. "Even when I was in the industry, there were people that supported me and gave me opportunities and helped me out when I could give them literally nothing in return, honestly I just kind of feel like now I'm here I owe it to them to do what I can when I hear someone else that has a gift."

"Levi, if I wanted to hear this I could have bought your autobiography." She sighed. "I'm sure your publicist probably wrote it better too."

"It's not just a line, it's my life! It's who I am!" Levi told her. "Look, I know I was wrong to ignore you and you have no idea how glad I was to hear you weren't around when those kud...um...robots attacked. I'd have hated to think you were in danger."

"Levi..."

"I heard Jess play and I thought she had real talent, so I wanted to help." Levi told her. "I'm sorry that I got carried away and ignored..."

"Yes, I'm perfectly sure it was ONLY her music you were interested in." She grumbled. Levi started to back up a little.

"What?" He asked. "Where did that come from?"

"Oh, I think we both know the appeal!" She put down flatly. "The big blue eyes, the long blonde hair, the barely-there outfit..."

"Mary..."

"I mean, I can understand, it's not like I'm getting any younger." She told him. "And, she was kind of pretty, if you like that kind of thing."

"Wait, are you serious? You think I wanted her like that?" Levi asked her. "Mary, I didn't..."

"Oh, pull the other one Levi!" She snapped.

"Mary, I'll level with you, she did express an interest but I honestly didn't want her in that way." Levi told her. "It was flattering, yes, but do you know how many times I've had people like that approach me?"

"There's no need to brag!" She muttered.

"And it drove me crazy every time! None of them knew who I was; hell most of them didn't even care enough to try to find out! I could have told them I went out seal-clubbing for fun and they'd have told me they do it too just to agree with me." He told her. "I knew none of them wanted the real me and that really didn't interest me."

He could see she wasn't convinced, and he took a deep breath.

"Jess tried to make a move and I told her no. You want to know why?" Levi asked her. "I told her I was already into someone else."

"Really?" She asked him sceptically.

"Mary, do you remember the first time we spoke? You literally didn't even know who I was! Do you have any idea how rare that is for me?" Levi asked her. "You weren't impressed with my music or with the magazine covers or the butt of the year awards..."

"They actually have those?" She asked him.

"And a few others that I'd rather not say out loud." Levi chuckled. "I liked that you were interested to find out about me because to you, I was just me. You didn't give a shit about the celebrity thing and just actually listened to what I had to say."

"Levi, I want to believe that but..."

"You can believe it!" Levi told her, taking her hand. "Mary, I know we've been sharing lunches and talking about what we like doing and stuff like that but you know, I'm honestly in awe of you. I really don't know what you want, but I know that you are really special and whatever you're comfortable with, I know my life is just so much better with you in it."

"Levi, I want to believe this, but, how can I believe that?" She asked him.

"What's that meant to mean?" He asked her.

"So much of your life is almost all about image! You have guys writing your biographies, your interview answers...hell, you even have people who pick out your clothes!" She stated.

"Well, I have a shopper yes, but this is me!" He told her.

"But how can I believe that?" She asked him. "You know my ex-husband was all show. He was always thinking about how other people saw him and making himself look younger and better and trying to get everyone to love him. Then I see you change your whole image twice inside 24 hours?"

"Mary, I know I screwed up, but I really don't know what you want me to do..."

"Show me something that CAN'T be faked!" She put down flatly. "Levi, I went through the whole fake thing with my ex-husband. I'm not going through it again."

Although it was only a moment, it felt like hours. Levi knew that it would possibly be for the best to let Mary just think of him as a superficial jerk and walk away. In the long run, she'd probably be safer. It would be selfish of him to keep her in his life as anything other than a work colleague. In a lot of ways, she had already given him the out, but there was something that just didn't sit right with him about turning her away. He already knew his life would feel like less without her in it, even as a friend. He went to the door, locking it.

"Levi, what are you doing?" She asked as he went to the other side of the room, shutting the blinds. "Levi, do you really think we're going to...?"

"You asked me to show you something that can't be faked?" Levi asked her. "Alright, this is the real me."

With a flash of light, Levi was transformed into the Gold Ranger. Mary stood, blinking for a moment.

"Mary, please say something." He begged her.

"Huh." She said, her mind still trying to make sense of what she had seen. "Well...surprisingly that...that kind of explains a lot."

Over at the Romero Farm, Redbot was taking a break, recharging while reading his book. It wasn't long before he found that a lot of the characters seemed very familiar.

Mariko, the author, the one who wrote the diary had talked about being sent to the Wind Ninja Academy, and her early days there being scared and feeling lonely. It was quite the sad tale of a girl put into a world that she didn't really understand until she met a young man by the name of Dane Romero.

Redbot wasn't stupid, his brain was quite literally a super-computer, and it wasn't long after he read the name that he gleaned enough details from the book to realise that the Dane Romero in the book was the very same Dane Romero that he was living with. This wasn't a mere book written in the style of a diary, it was an actual diary. Part of him wondered if he should let Dane know about it, but he was already so intrigued by the girl's story that he couldn't bring himself to stop reading.

They grew up together, Dane and Mariko; they were inseparable even when they were assigned to two different styles. Mariko showed a talent for the water style while Dane was gifted enough that he could easily have chosen any of the styles, but he always felt most comfortable with the air style. Mariko referred to it as his always having his head in the clouds.

Redbot wasn't surprised by how things developed in the way Mariko wrote, she clearly showed affection for Dane, affection which only grew as she got older. It was pretty clear by the time he reached her late teenage years that Mariko was in love with Dane. So much so that even Redbot felt sorry for her when a new student by the name of Emilia came into his life. She accepted that Dane had made his choice, but Redbot had to wonder what could have been.

Dane came into the room, hanging up his leather apron.

"I'm just going for a shower and then I'll start on dinner." Dane told him. "Do you need anything?"

"I'll be fine." Redbot replied. "I'm almost fully charged."

As Dane left to go and shower, Redbot read on, and he found a passage that almost made him drop the book.

"I found Dane in the woods today; he wouldn't answer when I called him. When I came to him he still wouldn't answer. He was just staring into the distance. Dane doesn't cry, I've never seen him cry, but today he looked as close as I've ever seen him.

He told me what was wrong. He and Emilia came back from the doctor's office. I knew they were trying for a family, but I never knew how long they'd been trying. They just got the news today that they've been dreading.

He was devastated, obviously, but he was angry as well, angry with the world. He told me that he might have been able to live with it if he was the problem. He wished it was him, he knew how much it hurt Emilia to know that they would never have the family they wanted so desperately.

As much as it breaks my heart, there is now finally a gift I can give the man I love."

Redbot closed the book over, almost afraid to read on. It would take him a while to pluck up the nerve to go further.


	9. Fishing Trips

At lunch time, the Rangers assembled in the Shop Class at Levi's behest. He had figured it was probably best that he tell them in person about his decision to reveal his identity to Mrs Finch. It went down about as well as he expected it would.

"You did WHAT?" Sarah demanded.

"You told her about us?" Calvin asked him.

"Well...technically I only told her about me. I didn't tell her who any of you guys are." Levi protested.

"That's not really the point." Mick told him. "We all have secret identities for a reason."

"Yeah, and it's not like we haven't broken that little rule a couple of times. Your girlfriend knows!" He said gesturing to Mick.

"That's a little different. It's not like we had much to tell her considering the fact Odious imprisoned her in her own basement for several weeks." Mick reminded him.

"Well, Victor and Monty know!" Levi stated.

"Yeah, again none of us exactly told them about that." Sarah said sarcastically. "And Mick made sure they were very clear on what they were and weren't allowed to talk about."

"I think you're the last person who should talk about respecting secret identities considering the fact you're the one that invited YOURSELF onto TWO teams now." Levi shot back.

"HEY!"

"It think we're all just kind of wondering why you did it." Hayley said, trying to bring them all back to the point in hand. Levi took a deep breath.

"Look, I know I should have talked to you guys first..."

"Ya think?" Preston asked, earning himself a fist-bump from Calvin.

"Look, the thing is, I was trying to explain what happened with Jess and one thing led to another..."

"Wait, so you told her to what? Impress her?" Hayley asked him. "Dude, being a Ranger is about saving people's lives, not picking up dates."

"I know that." Levi sighed, realising what it had to sound like. It was true that he wanted to make things up with Mary, and it was also true that he couldn't really think of a way to explain what happened with Spyclops unless she knew the full truth about his whole situation, but there was something else in his decision too. "Look, the thing is, Mary really means a lot to me."

"Mary?" Sarah and Hayley mouthed to each other as he said this.

"I'm not going to deny that there wasn't a selfish part of my decision to tell her." Levi continued. "Yeah, maybe the right thing to do would have been to let her think I was just a selfish jerk who uses his fame to get the youngest, prettiest girl that bats her eyelashes at him so she would keep her distance and stay away from me, but she really does mean a lot to me and the way I see it, if I'm going to have a chance, ANY chance of having something more with her, then she has to know the truth anyway."

"Levi, you told her..."

"Yes, and that might have been wrong of me to do without cluing you guys into my decision." Levi conceded as he looked around them. "But if she knows, she can watch her back. She can do things to keep herself safe. If I don't tell her, then she won't even know she's in danger. At least this way, she'll have a chance if someone tries to get to me through her."

"Wow, she...she really means that much to you?" Sarah asked. "I know you two have been doing...something...for a while now but is it really that serious?"

"For her, I don't know." Levi told them. "But for me, I know I'd like it to be."

"Well I don't think it was a smart move to tell her." Mick said with a shrug. "But, since the deed's already done, I guess all we can do is hope for the best."

"She already knows she can't let anyone else know who I am." Levi assured them. "I'll take full responsibility for anything else that happens."

"Well, I'm not happy about it but I guess Mick's right. The decision is out of our hands now anyway." Sarah replied. "So, I guess the only question is, do the rest of us tell her?"

"I suppose it could be nice to have another teacher that lets us out of class when we need to go." Calvin suggested.

"Yeah, I'm not entirely convinced about this." Preston told her. "I mean, no offence to Levi's charms or anything but until we know what she's going to do with the information about him, maybe it might be an idea not to tell her TOO much?"

"What do you think Brody?" Mick asked. They all looked to the Red Ranger who had been noticeably quiet during the whole thing. He was holding Burt's cell phone and staring at it, lost in thought. He finally realised they were looking at him.

"It's up to you guys." Brody said, putting the phone away.

"Brody, you're the leader here." Calvin reminded him. "I think traditionally your input is kind of expected in situations like this."

"Guys, seriously I'm not going to make all your decisions for you!" Brody told them, picking up his bag. "Training's cancelled for the day."

"Wait, what?" Preston asked. "But..."

"Take the day off." Brody reiterated. "I'll see you guys at the lake tomorrow."

As he left, Levi looked to the others.

"What was that about?" He asked.

"You're not the only one with stuff going on Levi." Hayley told him. "Well, since we've got some time does anyone want to head to the Aquarium?"

"That was random." Sarah said, furrowing her brows. "I mean, I like sea life as much as the next person but...aren't they closing in a couple of hours?"

"That's not really going to be a problem." Calvin said with a little grin. Of the group, he was the only one that had met Aaron. "Considering her dad pretty much runs the place."

"Oh...well...sure, I guess." Preston answered. "It's not like I've got anything better to do."

He saw the way Hayley glared at him.

"That came out wrong." He admitted.

"Come on guys." Hayley said, gesturing them to follow her. "Come on!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo came into Wrench's lab, finding his rather put-out head mechanic gripping his axe tightly and waving it around as he angrily yelled at some kudabots that were standing guard by the door to a section of his lab. Cosmo already knew that he was unhappy that they seemed to be barring him from entry, he could hear Wrench most of the way down the hall! Still, by the time he got there Wrench was just about out of patience.

"I don't care what that walking porcelain doll told you, I'm the Head Mechanic and this is MY lab!" Wrench screamed at him. He heard some banging from inside the room which seemed to only anger him further. "My tools are precision equipment, he's ruining them! Let me through before I start…"

"Now, now Wrench, let's not get hasty, there's no need for oil to be spilled." Cosmo said as he placed his cane against the haft of Wrench's axe, hoping to stop Wrench from using it. "Now, what seems to be the issue?"

"Badonna said that Odious has given the latest monster access to MY lab to create some kind of weapon!" Wrench told him. "I just want to make sure he isn't destroying everything!"

"I see, that seems perfectly reasonable." Cosmo stated, before looking to the kudabots. "So, what appears to be the issue?"

The kudabots responded in the mechanical sounds that existed as the closest thing they had to verbal communication. Cosmo just sighed.

"She said he is to get privacy did she?" Cosmo asked. "Even from me?"

The kudabot guards answered. Cosmo just nodded.

"Well, if that's your final decision." Cosmo said, before nodding to Wrench. In a quick flurry, both the kudabot guards were hacked to pieces before either of them could do much of anything to stop them. Cosmo just patted him on the shoulder.

"We'll put them into recycling and bring up a couple of other kudabots." Cosmo told him. "That's the beauty of them. There's always more kudabots. It's not like Odious will notice the difference."

They went inside finding a monster working away on some kind of device. They were both a little baffled by what he was doing. Since they'd been told he was working on a weapon they were expecting him to be working on some kind of hand weapon, perhaps even a gun of some description, but it seemed to be a much larger and more complex device than they were expecting.

"Who are you?" The monster demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm sure you know me, this is Wrench my head mechanic." Cosmo introduced them. "My my, this is an impressive um…device."

"It's not exactly much of a weapon." Wrench said in disgust. "The only way that's likely to be a danger to the Rangers is if you drop it on them!"

"Ha! Shows what you know! This machine will destroy the Rangers and their city in one fell swoop!" The monster bragged. "I just need to set this up for Earth's tidal patterns…"

"Tidal patterns?" Cosmo asked. "What exactly is this?"

"It's my tsunami machine! I've used it to sweep away entire civilisations!" The monster boasted. "They don't call me Doomwave for nothing!"

"Doomwave eh?" Cosmo asked him. "Wrench…why don't you see if you can help him with his device here?"

"What?" Wrench asked.

"I've got a little housekeeping to attend to." Cosmo told them. "My man Wrench here is a real mechanical whizz. With his help you'll be ready for the Rangers in no time!"

Wrench pulled him aside.

"Cosmo, do you really want me to help him?" Wrench asked.

"For now." Cosmo told him. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have an important call to take."

As Cosmo left, Wrench put down his axe and gestured to the wave machine.

"Well, let's see what this thing can do." Wrench told him. "Maybe with my help the Rangers will have a little more than a shower to worry about."

Down on Earth, Preston, Sarah, Calvin and Hayley arrived at the Aquarium, where sure enough they were closing up for the day. All that was left were the maintenance staff who didn't even give the Rangers a second look beyond waving and greeting Hayley.

"I guess you've been around here quite a bit." Preston deduced as they passed a janitor, mopping the floor as he gave Hayley a high-five while he passed.

"My dad's worked here for years. I come by quite a bit when he's in town." Hayley said as they continued on their way, looking for him. "He's arranged a whole ton of field trips with the schools I've gone to. He's really into getting kids thinking about the ocean."

"He's super cool! He's like the Steve Irwin of the ocean!" Calvin said enthusiastically. "Not long after I started dating Hayley, he let me go diving in the shark tank on the school trip! It was intense!"

"So your girlfriend's dad put you in a tank of sharks?" Sarah teased him. "Are you sure he likes you?"

"Oh, very funny, ha ha!" Calvin retorted. Hayley started looking around intently.

"Dad said he'd meet us here, but I can't see him…"

"HAYLEY!" An enthusiastic voice rang out. Preston looked to Sarah.

"Either Hayley's dad has a really high pitched voice or…"

"Monica?" Hayley shrieked as she saw a woman running over. She looked to be only a few years older than them, probably college-age. As she ran over, hugging Hayley tightly, they saw she was only a couple of inches taller than her. She was wearing light blue denims and trainers, with a t-shirt carrying the logo of an anti-whaling protest group. Her hair was tied into cornrows, which came down past her shoulders. "Monica, its great…I mean…it's been so long…what are you even doing here?"

"Monica, how long has it been?" Calvin asked, hugging her too. Sarah let out a small cough to remind them that they were there.

"Guys, this is Monica, she is just the best!" Hayley told them. "She was a senior when I first got to High School and didn't really know anyone. Monica sat with me at lunch on my first day!"

"Hayley looked so much like one of my little cousins that I felt sorry for her seeing how scared and lonely she looked." Monica told them. "So I made sure there was always someone to have her back and keep the creeps at bay until she was a little more used to the place."

"Monica was one of the coolest kids in the school." Calvin recalled joyfully. "She was the one that finally talked me into asking Hayley out."

"And it looks like that turned out pretty well didn't it?" Monica said, playfully pinching Calvin's cheek. "This one was so cute, but he never would have plucked up the nerve to ask out Hayley without a little help."

"So seriously, what are you doing here?" Hayley asked her. "I wrote to you a couple of times after you went to college but…"

"Yeah, sorry about that things got kind of hectic." Monica explained. "I went to college and did a double major in biology and engineering and now…now I'm interning here while I'm doing a PhD!"

"You're doing a PhD?" Hayley asked. "Wow, that's…that's awesome! I never knew you came back here!"

"Well, I got the position here because I'm working on a really great project…it's a special kind of drone designed to study aquatic life but affect it as little as possible!" She informed them.

"Wow, it is so great to see you!" Hayley said, holding her hands. "Say, have you seen dad around anywhere?"

"Oh, he's around." She said, pointing behind them. "But it might take him a little while to be ready."

They all turned around and there in one of the tanks was a man in a wetsuit and SCUBA gear, swimming along beside what could only be described as looking like a purple submarine. The Rangers went to the glass, peering in at him.

"He's…aware that he's completely surrounded by piranhas right?" Preston asked. "And that doesn't bother him at all?"

"Piranha are only dangerous if they smell blood. If you're not bruised or bleeding you're fine." Monica chuckled, before pulling out a radio. "Aaron! Aaron, you have visitors!"

The diver looked towards the glass, seeing the team. He gave them a wave which they returned. He gave them some hand signals before he activated the handset, directing the drone to surface. He swam up after it, heading for the top of the tank.

"He'll just need to get dried off and changed." Monica stated. "In the meantime I'm sure I've got a whole lot of diagnostics to work through from this latest test. I'll catch you around sometime?"

"You bet!" Hayley answered, high-fiving her. Monica went on to high-five all the others before heading off through a door marked as employees only.

"Wow, she is pretty cool!" Sarah commented.

"She really is." Hayley agreed. "Maybe I can ask her to let you have a look at that drone some time."

"That would be awesome!" Sarah squealed.

"So, since we've got a little time to kill, who wants to check out the touch-tank?" Calvin asked. "The rays here are ridiculously playful! They just love being petted!"

"I'm in!" Preston answered as they all followed Calvin towards the touch tank.

Meanwhile, in a fortress in another dimension, Lord Draven stood, watching from a safe vantage point as his latest project was put to the test. While he was happy to let Odious keep the Rangers busy, little did she know that he also had his own plan well underway.

He was not called "Lord Draven" for nothing. He was the undisputed ruler of his world. A warlord of the truest sense, Draven had waged a full-on campaign on his home world that saw him crush the indigenous population in battle after battle until he finally stood tall.

For him, warfare was more than just a means to an end. It was an obsession, almost an addiction. He was never happiest than on a battlefield. In truth even victory didn't really hold any value for him, the spoils of war were a mere distraction. It was the moment he stood over the smoking remains of his enemies that he lived for. That was ultimately his problem though. They didn't call his dimension "The Anti-Verse" for nothing. While his campaign was ultimately successful, it was if anything TOO successful. He had literally wiped all intelligent species from the face of his planet. Which meant that there was now no one left to fight! He was now master and ruler of a dead world, one with no one that could hope to challenge him.

He turned to the door as it opened and Sledge walked in, dragging a struggling, shackled male prisoner with him. Poisandra was dragging a woman, similarly restrained with her.

"I see you've been busy." Draven commented.

"Most of the Rangers have an annoying habit of having a whole legion of friends around them. It makes taking them without anyone noticing challenging." Sledge told him, kicking the male prisoner behind the knee, forcing him to his knees before Draven. "Fortunately this one lives as something of a hermit on one of Triforia's moons these days."

"Ah, Blue Space Ranger!" Draven said with a smile. "I heard you try to avoid the limelight these days."

"Some of us like peace and quiet." TJ spat.

"We found this one in London too." Poisandra said cheerfully, shoving Kat to the floor.

"I never thought I'd see the day I hated pink." Kat replied sarcastically. "Then again, some of us look good in it."

"Why you…"

"Easy!" Sledge said, holding his wife back. "We don't get paid if they're dead!"

"Take them to processing! I have a couple of machines waiting for them!" Draven stated, at which some kudabots took the prisoners and dragged them away. Sledge was drawn by sounds of battle and looked into the yard beneath.

"Isn't that…?"

"It's not what you think, he isn't escaping." Draven assured him. "It's just a trial run of one of my latest models of soldiers."

"I see." Sledge said thoughtfully. "Is it ready?"

"The field tests are promising." Draven told him. "Why?"

"I think I have an idea that will make gaining some more of your captives a little easier." Sledge told him.


	10. The Legend of Bruiser

Burt set an impressive pace in his training for his next marathon. He'd long since given up finding anyone to train with, most of his friends were now out of town at various colleges. Having left High School the year before with a diploma that could be more accurately described as proof of attendance he didn't really have the same options as the others. Even some of his friends who he knew had no ambitions beyond Millport and would likely be back once they had learned a trade had left. Burt was still admired enough by the current High School students that he could easily train with them, but it felt a little pathetic to hang around with pity-buddies who would probably be off to college and leave him in their wake in another few months as well.

He still had his marathons, though he was on the cusp of losing them too. This would be the last year he would qualify for the junior ranking and after that he would be competing in the open if he wanted to continue. He wasn't worried so much about the competition, he was still in great shape and since he would be competing against literally anyone up to and including those in their 80's, he was still confident he could compete, but it was all about losing something else for him too. He was now…that guy. He was working full-time in his dad's store until "something better came along", knowing it likely never would. He had no real skills, at least not on paper, and that just meant he was soon going to be one of those guys that always talked about his glory days in High School because he had nothing else.

He got to his distance marker out on the woods, before pausing to take a breath and get some water. He had other worries too, most prominently what he was going to do about what happened at the lake. So far his dad didn't know he'd lost his phone, but that was the least of Burt's worries. He was sure he could come up with a suitable excuse at some point and work off the cost of a replacement. Now he was worried that Brody had the phone and what he was going to do with it. The Romeros were only newly back in town and from what Burt heard even before they left they were pretty much hermits as far as the locals were concerned, but he still couldn't help wondering what would happen if Brody told people about his visits to the farm or of the pictures he took. Now that he had the pictures there was little that Burt could do about stopping him. He took another long sip, before a flash interrupted him. He looked to a nearby tree and saw Brody standing on one of the branches.

"It's not nice is it?" Brody asked him. "People watching you, taking pictures without asking?"

Burt was about to run off when Brody leapt down, blocking his path. He tossed the phone to Burt.

"I'm not a thief, you can have that back." Brody told him. "I deleted the pictures of course, but since I was nice enough not to call the cops maybe you could tell me what you took them for in the first place."

"What does it matter?" Burt asked him. "You said you deleted them."

"It matters because I want to know if you're going to try it again!" Brody said sternly. "You see, we kind of like our privacy and when people violate it we get a little cranky."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed." Burt grumbled. "Between the way you jumped me at the farm and the way you held me down at the lake…"

"What do you mean the farm? I never…?" Brody started to say, before shaking off the detail. "OK, so you know what I'm capable of. So maybe you might want to tell me why you've been following me around. Who are you working for?"

"Working for?" Burt asked him. Brody was sure that even if he was a spy Burt would try to play dumb, but he wasn't too sure he'd have the intellect to do so this convincingly.

"So you wanted the pictures for yourself?" Brody asked him. Burt started to shift a little uncomfortably. "You can see how creepy that sounds right?"

"I'm not a creep!" Burt snapped at him.

"You could have fooled me!" Brody replied. "Now, one way or another this ends, do you understand? Next time I see you around me I'm calling the cops and handing you over myself, but I'd like to know why I shouldn't do that."

"Do what you want." Burt sighed. "It's all everyone else does. Everyone with a choice anyway."

"What's that meant to mean?" Brody asked him.

"It means some of us aren't lucky enough to have loads of friends and go to a good school and…"

His words tailed off before he just shook his head.

"You know what? It doesn't matter." He told him. Brody could see the defeated look in him and approached.

"What about all your friends…?"

"Are you kidding? They're all gone! They're all partying it up all around the country while I'm still stuck here!" Burt told him. He took a seat on a tree stump as he looked at Brody. He let out a nervous little laugh.

"What's so funny?" Brody asked him.

"You look so much like him when you do that, like the whizz kid." Burt told him. "This kid in my year, Riley, he was the only one that was even close to me at athletics. I still trounced him at everything though. I did everything I could to make sure everyone knew it too. He was one of those smart kids that everything was so easy for you know? Always had the answers in class…it was great seeing that smug little smirk wiped off his face."

Brody just continued to stare at him. He hadn't met Riley, but he had heard about him from Sarah and he was starting to learn that he had a history with Burt. Burt looked to Brody, another little laugh escaping him.

"I remember this one time after I'd humiliated him in some race…I can't even remember rightly which one, there were so many, but I'd beaten him by almost a full lap. The only reason I didn't lap him was because he ran the rest of the way so fast that he ended up throwing out his ankle. I made jokes about it of course, made sure everyone was laughing, but that day…that day something must have happened, because instead of just sneering or walking away like he always did, he lost it. He started going this really weird shade of red and he started yelling at me. He said, 'You're an idiot Burt, and you'll always be an idiot because you never concentrate on anything important. You just coast by on your races and never work at anything else and that's why…that's why when all of these people are gone and I've left this town for college and forgotten you forever you'll still be here because you never accomplished anything. Welcome to your last years of being relevant.'."

Brody could only go by what Sarah had told him about Riley, but while he didn't mind answering back if someone annoyed him, it did sound like something must have snapped for him if he went off like that.

"I always thought four years was such a long time. I kept telling myself I could get serious and buckle down later." Burt continued as a tear rolled down his face. "Of course by the time 'later' came it became clear that I wasn't smart enough to catch up. I guess Whiz Kid was right all along. I am irrelevant."

Brody knew that Burt had no right to his sympathy. He knew that by all rights he should just walk away and leave Burt to wallow in his own self-made misery, but something compelled him to stay. He looked to Burt.

"Have you considered going back to school?" Brody asked him. Burt laughed a little.

"Yeah, because the kids around here would be so forgiving." He said dismissively. "Burt the Blockhead coming back because he couldn't make the grade the first time."

"Well, it doesn't HAVE to be here." Brody suggested. "It'd mean a bit of a drive but Summer Cove isn't that far away. They have some pretty amazing teachers there too. The Shop teacher especially you'll have to see to believe."

"You think it'd be that easy?" Burt asked. "I struggled at school…"

"And anything worth accomplishing is only accomplished if you work at it." Brody interrupted him. "I'm pretty sure you didn't win all those marathons by turning up on the day and hoping for the best."

"No, of course not! I train every day!" Burt told him. "I watch what I eat I practice I…"

"And school is no different. It's just a different TYPE of training." Brody explained. "Hell, I wasn't that good of a student either to begin with, but my friend Sarah really helped. She just told me that instead of training these…"

He prodded Burt in one of his pectorals.

"You have to train this." He pointed to his head. "It's just instead of sit ups and push ups, it involves some reading and some study."

"I was never good at that stuff." Burt told him.

"Neither was I." Brody said with a smile. "But then I was never that good with a jumping spin kick as a kid either but now…"

He leapt off the ground, spinning in the air and bringing his foot around narrowly missing Burt's face.

"Need I say more?" He started to back away from him. "Just think about it OK? Oh…and uh…don't come around to the house anymore. You know, unless you call first. That way we can have some lemonade ready."

Late at night, at the lake, Wrench and Doomwave teleported down, carrying the tsunami device with them. Wrench started to look around to make sure that they were alone.

"You're paranoid." Doomwave told him. "I've done this dozens of times. There's never anyone around at this time of night!"

"Well YOU haven't been up against the Rangers before!" Wrench told him. "Last time I faced off against one of them she cut off both my arms and both my legs!"

Really?" Doomwave asked. "Well, they haven't met anything like me! I'm not just some weakling they can..."

"Oh, I've heard that before." Wrench told him. "I believe Galvanax said something similar."

"G...G...Galvanax?" Doomwave asked, apparently taking the threat a little more seriously. "Well, it couldn't hurt to take a little look around first right?"

"Glad you see this my way." Wrench answered. "Go and look around while I plant the device!"

Doomwave went to look for any signs of anyone watching while Wrench picked up the tsunami device and waded into the lake. Not needing to breathe, it was a pretty simple matter for him to walk out into the lake to find a good spot for it. Finding a rocky outcrop at the bottom, he set to work bolting it in place.

He started the process of turning on the power, setting it so that the device could be activated remotely, before he cast a quick look up. Doomwave was still off looking for any intruders. That gave Wrench the time to act. He pulled out a device, attaching it to the tsunami machine and turning it on.

"That should do it." He quipped, before heading back to the shore. By the time he got there, Doomwave had returned.

"So, did you set it?" He asked.

"Don't worry, no one's going to find it until it's too late." Wrench assured him. "Come on, let's get back to the ship and watch from a safe distance."

With that, they both teleported away, leaving the lakeside as quiet and still as before they arrived.

The following morning, the lake was awash with people. Summer Cove was always an ideal fishing spot, but the only thing that got people more excited than the thought of a delicious fresh-cooked meal was the annual competition.

To say that people took the competition seriously was an understatement. The objective was effectively to catch the largest fish as one would expect, but in Summer Cove there was legend of a particularly large and elusive fish of truly amazing proportions named Bruiser. Logic dictated that it was a myth, after all the first reports of Bruiser were from 1907 and since there weren't many species of fish with a 112 year life span it was likely "Bruiser" was more likely an amalgam of many different 'almost got him' stories. Even the size of Bruiser changed from telling to telling, from some claiming he was anything between eight and fifteen feet long! Still, it didn't detract from anyone's fun of trying to be the one to finally bag Bruiser!

The competition itself had very little in the way of rules as well. Since it was open to professionals pretty much anything short of dynamite fishing, which was illegal for very obvious and sensible reasons, was considered fair game. Almost as much fun as the fishing itself was seeing some of the exotic and amazing equipment and devices people came up with for capturing 'the beast'. From the high-tech, such as laser-guided rods, through the sublime such as varied and specialised types of lure, to the frankly hilarious such as the guy who was currently walking around dressed as a fish and smearing himself in what he claimed was 'fish pheromones'. That was why none of the Rangers particularly felt like it was cheating when Aaron offered to help them with his drone.

Sarah was far more interested in that side of things than anything else. She wasn't just a gadget freak, she was a true engineer at heart. She was interested in the way people saw a problem and came up with a variety of solutions to it. She wasn't too confident in "Fish guy's" approach, but some of the devices and strategies people seemed to be employing were really quite something to behold.

She saw Victor a little way off, sitting on a log by himself, attaching a reel to his rod and threading in the line. She felt badly for him, she knew that he and Monty hadn't really spoken too much that week and assumed it was something to do with Monty still being upset about Viera's 'Dear John'. As much as they had been a pain in the ass at times, she knew that Victor and Monty were friends in the very truest sense of the word and had been for many years. It was clear Victor was upset about the fact Monty wasn't joining him as she was sure he was meant to. She quickly looked around before heading over, preparing to speak to him. Before she got there though, she heard Monty's voice.

"Victor!" He called out. She looked quickly around, thinking that if he saw her, he might be reluctant to go and make peace with him. She ended up diving into some bushes right behind Victor just as Monty approached him. "Um…nice…rod."

"Thanks." Victor answered. "I borrowed it from my uncle. He goes ice fishing in the Arctic every year."

"I…um…" Monty said, holding a box in his hands. He fumbled it a little awkwardly as he tried to approach. "I brought some lures I thought might help."

Sarah just sighed. Guys were really pathetic at this kind of thing.

"Monty…"

"Victor!" He interrupted him. "I just…I just wanted to say, I'm really sorry. I should never have said what I did."

"Monty, you don't have to…"

"No, really, I do." Monty told him. "I was upset about Viera and I know you were only trying to help but I guess I just was hurting and I wanted someone else to hurt too. It was a really shitty thing to do to anyone, especially my best friend."

"I can't say it didn't sting." Victor told him. "The fact is you did have a point Monty."

"No, I really didn't."

"No, you were right about one thing." Victor answered. "I don't know what you're going through, because…well…I've never had what you had with Viera. I might have gone on a few dates with girls, but what you and she had? The way you looked at each other? The way you lit up when you were around each other? I've never had anything like that, and I'm really jealous that you had it. So, no, you're right that I don't know what it feels like to lose that."

"It was still a really shitty thing to say." Monty replied.

"Well, yes." Victor agreed. "But I can understand how what I said seemed insensitive and that was never my intention. I'm sorry if it felt like I was making light of things."

"No, I should have known better." Monty answered him sadly. "You've always been my best friend. I know you're always on my side. Can you forgive me?"

"What's there to forgive?" Victor asked him. "Now, how about you tell me about these lures?"

As they walked away to discuss different lures, Sarah just lay in the bushes, holding a hand over her heart.

"That…that just…happened right?" She asked, before finally getting back to her feet and heading back towards her friends. She got to them just as the competitors were being called up for the beginning of the competition. A man dressed for the occasion in an outfit that could best be described as someone doing their very best impression of Captain Birdseye stood on a stage to kick off the proceedings.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the 25th annual Summer Cove Beast of the Deep Hunt!" The 'Captain' declared. "Many moons ago, a monster came to this fair city, swimming though miles of underwater caverns to come to this very lake where it made its home! A prehistoric monstrosity of enormous size…"

"Wow, this guy is really trying his hardest to sell this fish." Sarah commented. Levi just shrugged.

"It's common enough, everyone exaggerates their game a little." Levi told them. "One time Tom told me he bagged a twenty point buck…It couldn't have been more than a fourteen, maybe sixteen tops! Didn't mean it didn't make a great stew!"

"Bruiser's a legend around here. People were telling stories about him since before my gran was born!" Calvin told her. "My grandfather claimed he lost a finger to him…but I found out after he passed it was an accident with a flywheel at his work."

"I guess Chase told us about Tanifa a few times." Sarah conceded. "But…it's still just a fish right?"

"It really isn't about the fish, it's about the imagination it inspires! I mean look at all these people!" Brody said, panning his hand around. "Do you think this is all about just a fish? This is epic!"

"…Never underestimate the animal cunning and guile of this monster! Use any and all tricks and devices you wish, and if one of you should catch the legendary Bruiser, you will take away this trophy!"

He held up a trophy for them all to see. Levi held up his rod.

"Not to mention one hell of a lot of fish tacos!" He called out. There was a huge laugh from the assembled crowd.

"So go adventurers, crusaders, heroes, go and catch the elusive Bruiser! Be the one to finally bring him in!"

As they all walked away, Sarah looked to the others.

"These people all realise that they're never going to catch Bruiser right?" She asked them. "I mean, if he is such a tourist attraction there's no way they're going to say he's caught and end this event. They'll just say it isn't him and keep the whole thing going."

"Sarah, sometimes overthinking things makes you kind of a buzz-kill." Preston answered her.


	11. Droning On

Up on the Warrior Dome, Madame Odious was awaiting the beginning of the show. She paced impatiently as her attendants ran around to get things ready, while Badonna pestered her about something.

"But Madame Odious, I'm telling you I have the perfect..."

"How many times Badonna? Just leave the file and find something useful to do." Madame Odious told her.

"But Madame Odious, I've managed to secure the services of..."

"And what's the point of hiring anyone if the Rangers are no longer around?" Madame Odious demanded impatiently. "I'm sick of all these games and fair fighting. When Doomwave activates his machine the Rangers AND their pathetic city are going to find themselves permanent neighbours of Atlantis! Last time I checked even Rangers need to breathe!"

She turned, smashing a kudabot into the wall with her mallet as her patience finally left her. It exploded, showering springs and small parts all over the place.

"Will you STOP fixing my robe?" She demanded. "I only put up with the ridiculous farce of this contest to attract the warriors I need, but if I wipe out everything..."

"That doesn't sound like it'll make a particularly entertaining show." Cosmo interrupted her. "Besides, if the city is underwater, the Power Stars will be too. Last time I checked under sea nature documentaries weren't exactly a smash in the ratings."

"I don't CARE about your ratings!" She snapped at him. Cosmo looked so offended anyone who hadn't heard what she said might have thought she personally insulted his family. "Once I have what I want, you can HAVE your stupid show back! I really don't care! You should be happy I'm bringing a nuke to a knife fight!"

"Madame Odious, Madame Odious!" Doomwave called out as he arrived, carrying the handset with him. "We've set up the machine. All you need to do is press this button and..."

"Good! Now get out of my sight! I want to savour my victory!" She told him, before grabbing Cosmo by the scruff of the neck. "NOT you! You want a show and I want an audience. There's no reason your audience shouldn't get to enjoy watching everyone in Summer Cove drown!"

Down at the side of the lake, Aaron was just setting the last of the adjustments on his drone as the others gathered around. He had a whole lot of equipment with him, enough that it filled the aquarium van. The Rangers were amazed to see everything he had brought with him. He had set up a table full of monitoring equipment next to him.

"Now this drone is some of the best oceanic exploration equipment ever created...with no false modesty!" He declared proudly. "Everyone keeps looking to the stars and is so obsessed with space, yet over ninety percent of our own planet is still a complete mystery! One day, this thing will bring that figure down to zero."

"It's an amazing machine alright." Sarah said, finally finding something to be excited about. "I can't believe you built this all by yourself!"

"Oh, it wasn't just me; I have way too many people to thank to claim it as mine." Aaron told her, giving her a little wink. "Not least of which is some people with very deep pockets and a generous streak."

"Say, what's this?" Preston asked him, pointing to a new attachment on the drone. Aaron had shown them the drone briefly the previous night at the aquarium, but Preston hadn't noticed this before.

"Yeah, and this?" Levi asked, gesturing to a very large tank.

"This, Preston, is a custom net cannon, one that has been designed by some incredibly smart people to catch sea life without hurting them." He explained. "While that, Levi, is where I'm hoping Bruiser will end up."

"Why would you need a tank?" Levi asked him.

"To store him in while we transport him of course!" Aaron stated. He noticed the way that the Rangers were staring at him. "Wait...you didn't think we were going to...?"

"Yeah, kind of!" Levi said, gesturing to a barbecue grill he had set up.

"If Bruiser is some kind of strange species then do you really think I could turn him into dinner?" Aaron asked him. "A specimen like that would need to be studied, appreciated, and then released back into its natural habitat for future generations..."

"And if it's just an unusually large salmon?" Preston asked him.

"Oh boy!" Calvin and Hayley groaned together, seeing where this was heading.

"We'll just...go launch this thing while you sort this out." Calvin said as he and Hayley picked up the drone, walking it out into the lake. Aaron stood with his hands on his hips.

"Well, Preston, for one thing I would be very surprised if Bruiser was a salmon considering the fact that salmon is a freshwater fish and this lake is clearly salt water. Secondly, salmon is a very inexact term that relates to literally hundreds of fish within the family Salmonidae, finally even if it is just an 'unusually large' member of whatever genus it is, it would still be worthy of study to find out WHY it's so large!" Aaron rhymed off in a tone that was entirely more enthusiastic than any of them had ever heard someone talk about a fish. The last time they had seen anyone show that level of squee was when Sarah explained to them the latest breakthrough in nano technology. "After all, there are numerous businesses and factories that dump here. If those are having an effect on the natural fauna then we can finally put pressure on them to stop."

"So has he set you straight yet?" Calvin asked as he and Hayley arrived back on the shore. The other Rangers just gave him a look that suggested they would nod if they could but didn't want to be impolite around Hayley's dad. They all understood people were enthusiastic about different things but to get this excited about a fish still seemed a little unusual to them.

"So what do I do with all this?" Levi asked him, gesturing to the barbecue.

"I'm sure you'll catch other fish. Just because I want to study unusual ocean life doesn't mean I've never eaten a grilled flounder!" He told him with a smile. "But we get Bruiser and he goes free are we understood?"

"I...guess we wouldn't want to end any legends would we?" Sarah asked.

"Exactly!" Aaron said cheerfully. "Now, Hayley, here's some money, how about you go get us all some ice cream while Calvin and Hayley act as your old man's pit crew?"

"I'll be right back." Hayley responded, taking the money. "I'll be back in a few guys!"

As she left, she almost ran into Monica, who did kind of a little dance with her as they tried to step around each other.

"You've still got the moves Hayls!" She complimented the White Ranger as she joined the others. Sarah looked to her.

"You call her Hayls too?" Sarah asked. "I thought only Calvin did. We all just picked up the habit."

"Who do you think gave her the name?" Monica chuckled, stroking Aaron's shoulder. "Alright, where do you want me?"

"Over by the monitoring station as always Mon Mon!" He told her. Brody furrowed his brows and looked to Levi, mouthing the words 'Mon Mon'. Levi just shrugged and collected his rods, finding a good spot to sit and start casting out lines for something Aaron would allow them to actually eat. Aaron took the handset in hand.

"Alright, I'll lead us off and you just watch how it's done. Pretty soon I'll let you have a turn." Aaron said with the glee of a kid getting his first bike. "Alright, here we go!"

At another part of the lake, Victor and Monty were just beginning their own campaign to catch the elusive Bruiser. Victor sighed as he saw that the bells on his lines still weren't ringing.

"How long has it been Monty?" He asked.

"About three minutes." Monty sighed.

"Oh come on, we destroyed monsters in less time than this!" Victor complained. "Are you sure you used enough pheromone spray on the lures?"

"It couldn't hurt to re-apply." Monty answered with a little shrug. "I'll go get us some ice-cream before the lines get too long."

Victor started to reel in the first line, fetching the lure out of the water and fetching his spray when he saw someone a little way off, staring into the water. She was clearly there for the contest but seemed to have a much more relaxed attitude to how she did things. She had a rod...if it could be called that, being simply a stick that it looked like she had found on the ground and a line which was bobbing lazily in the water. She seemed to be here more for the day than any real interest in the fish.

It didn't escape Victor's notice that she was attractive. A girl around his age with shoulder-length brown hair, light blue jeans and a plain green t-shirt. He looked around, but couldn't see any evidence of anyone else nearby her. He checked for Monty and saw him joining the line for ice-cream. He wasn't coming back any time soon. Victor quickly started to sort his hair before making his way over, coming up behind her. He adopted his best super-hero pose as he looked to her.

"Hi, Victor Vincent! Local super-hero. I'm sure you've heard of me!" He said, flashing a smile. The girl just continued to stare out over the water without so much as glancing back at him. "You know, I've been on the news for saving this whole city, perhaps you can't believe you've met a real life celebrity!"

Still she didn't respond. Victor had a look around her possessions, finding a backpack nearby with the name "Sandy" on it. He smiled.

"Sandy! That's a pretty name for a pretty lady!" Victor said as he continued to perform his routine. "So, if you're not doing anything how about getting some ice cream with a guy with six-pack abs, perfect teeth and fifty trophies?"

Sandy didn't so much as flinch. Victor let out a groan of defeat.

"Fine, be that way then!" He replied, stomping away. He accidentally kicked over her bag, at which Sandy turned, seeing it lying on the ground. She turned around and looked, but couldn't see anyone nearby. Shrugging, she turned her attention back to watching her line.

Back at the Ranger's station, Aaron had handed the controller over to Calvin for a little bit while he went to talk to Monica about the readings they were getting. Sarah was bouncing impatiently.

"Come on, is it my turn yet?" She complained.

"Not yet, I was promised five minutes! I've only had two!" Calvin told her. Suddenly, his handset started beeping. He looked to the little green screen on the bottom. "Mr Foster, I think I have something!"

"Let me see." He responded, coming over. The handset had a pretty crude screen that had a range of a few feet from the drone. He spotted the blips and shook his head. "No, Calvin, it's nothing, just some small fish. Possibly just some young ones curious to see what the big noisy fish it."

"Calvin, the long range scanner's finding something big off your starboard bow." Monica called over. Her equipment read a lot further, the sonar on the drone did read a long way, but in order to keep the handset a manageable size the screen was quite small, which was what made the small lab they had set up on the shore necessary. Calvin just stared at her blankly. "To the right! There's something big that way!"

"You can't blame the boy for being a land-lubber." Aaron teased Calvin, coming to her side. "The boy prefers cars to ships."

"That doesn't mean I wouldn't mind working on...hey, you're right! I think I've got it!" Calvin yelled excitedly.

"Don't sound so surprised!" She said, feigning irritation as Aaron came to her side, putting his arm around her shoulders.

"You're within range, deploy the net!" Aaron told him. Calvin fired the net, which hooked something, but a moment later his handset just went dead. They all turned to the screens on Monica's table which flickered and also went dead.

"What...what just happened?" Calvin asked. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean whatever it was..."

"It's too early to panic yet, it's just several years and tens of thousands of dollars in research." Aaron told him, looking to Monica. "Until we get it back, there's not much point worrying. So, are you going with him or am I?"

"M...m...me?" Calvin stammered.

"You lost the drone." Monica said with a shrug, tossing him a diving mask. "Aaron's taken you and Hayley diving hasn't he?"

"He has." Calvin muttered.

"Then lose the pants Mr Mechanic!" She said, gathering some more diving equipment. "You can help me get it back!"

Over on the Romero farm, Mick had come to help Dane build suitable storage for their arsenal. They now had all their old Power Stars back, Dane was even ready to start on some more, but for right now he needed to get some space back in this workshop and organise things. Mick blew some sawdust off a plank before handing it to Dane.

"So where's Redbot?" Mick asked him. Dane just shrugged.

"He's great with metal, but wood, not so much." He told him. "I mean no offence but I really do think that the sense of touch in a human hand is something that can't be replicated, and that's essential for woodwork. He's off reading some book or other he's had his nose in all week."

"All week?" Mick asked, looking surprised. "Normally a book doesn't even last him a couple of hours. I guess he found a story he really likes."

"It keeps him occupied." Dane stated. Just then, they both noticed the Nexus Prism beginning to glow. Dane and Mick put down their tools and headed over, watching the images starting to swirl and take shape.

"No matter how many times I see that, I'll always be impressed." Dane said with a smile.

"You're not the only one." Mick agreed.

"What is that? Some kind of purple missile?" Dane asked him.

"I have no idea." Mick told him. "But what I do know is that these cabinets can wait! I'll fire up the furnace!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, the music blared and Cosmo did his little dance as he prepared to address the audience.

"Ladies and Gentlemonsters, welcome to another special episode of...WAHHHH!"

Odious cast a spell, launching him across the stage as she took up position. She stood before her audience, holding up the handset.

"I present to you my ultimate victory over the Rangers!" She declared loudly. "In mere moments we're going to find out if the Rangers will quite literally sink or swim!"

She held the remote up and pressed the button, before turning to the screen. Everyone waited with bated breath, watching as...precisely nothing happened. Madame Odious pressed the button again but still nothing happened. There were some smatterings of laughter from the audience. She started mashing down on the button frantically as Wrench helped Cosmo to his feet.

"I couldn't have done this any better! Odious looks like a fool!" Cosmo said cheerfully. "Nice work with your kill switch Wrench."

"But...I haven't actually activated my kill switch yet!" Wrench told him. "I was going to hit it after the first couple of waves hit and caused some damage!"

"So if you didn't do it, then who...?"

"DOOMWAVE!" Odious screamed. Doomwave strode onto the stage, at which she grabbed him in a threatening manner. "What is wrong with your machine? You've turned me into a laughing stock!"

"But...but...it was working fine when..."

"I don't care if it was working THEN, it's not working NOW!" She screamed. "Now get down there and get it working! Take that useless bucket of bolts Wrench with you!"

With that, they both scurried off, leaving Odious to storm off the stage to a chorus of laughter at her expense. She was now under little doubt someone was trying to sabotage her, and she was determined that whoever it was would pay! She grabbed Badonna.

"Do you still have that file?" Odious asked. Badonna nodded. "Call them! We'll let the sledgehammer have its shot, but if it fails, then we'll try the scalpel!"

"I'll get the Super Ninja Steel!" Dane added, looking out some pieces.

Back at the lake, Calvin and Monica returned to the shore, carrying the drone with them. Aaron joined them out, giving him the appearance of a life-guard or casualty doctor running out to a patient.

"What happened down there? What's wrong with it?" He rushed out.

"The net got caught up in some kind of device down there, possibly some equipment left behind by the last survey."

"No doubt left by Harwood U." He snorted. "Those amateurs never take their trash with them!"

"It looks like it's burned; it looks like some kind of charge channelled through the net into the drone." Calvin told him as they dumped it on the bank. "I think some of its components are burned out."

"Looks like it's time to operate! Mon Mon...?"

"Already on it!" She said, running to the van to fetch a tool kit. Aaron took out his pen knife, flicking out a screwdriver attachment and opened it up. He sighed, looking at it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't..."

"Don't worry; we didn't know what that was either." Aaron said as Monica came back, putting down a tool kit and opening it. She grabbed some tools and quickly got to work.

"Good God this is a mess! If I find out that was Harwood U's piece of shit tech down there I'm going over there to give them a piece of my mind!" She snapped as she got to work.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, um...here's the Black Box, lift the data from it so we can get the co-ordinates of what's down there and set up a warning buoy. Let's make sure no one else gets their toys trashed by that piece of junk." Aaron told her. "Well, what's the prognosis?"

"It looks like the patient's a little worse for wear, but is going to live." She declared with a smile. "Good thing we built in a lot of safeguards, I should be able to get this thing back up and running in just a few minutes!"

"That's my girl!" Aaron said, throwing his arms around her, pulling her in and hugging her tightly. The Rangers all stood and watched all of this unfolding. Preston pulled in close to Sarah.

"Um...do we ever look like that when we're hugging?" He asked the Pink Ranger.

"Not even when we were dating." She responded. They parted from each other, at which Aaron gave her a small, gentle kiss. It was only then that he realised what he had done. Both he and Monica turned to the Rangers.

"Oh...um...yeah that's...uh...that's some great work..."

"I don't think it's us you need to convince." Sarah said, pointing behind them. Aaron turned to see Hayley standing behind him, having finally returned from the ice cream stand. She was just staring at them, her mouth hanging open as she watched them.

"Hayley, sweetheart, I'm sorry you saw that before we told you." Aaron told her. "We were going to..."

Hayley just dropped the ice-cream on the ground, before turning and stomping away.

"Hayley!" Aaron called after her.

"Hayley!" Sarah yelled.

"THE ICE-CREAM!" Brody, Preston and Levi all screamed together, earning them a hard glare from everyone else.

"Oh...yeah, and of course, Hayley too." Brody tried to correct himself.

"I'll go after her." Calvin told them, running after his girlfriend. "Hayley! Hayls, wait up!"

As they left, the rest of the team just stood around somewhat awkwardly, before Sarah finally broke the silence.

"So...need a hand with that?" She asked, pointing to the drone. Monica gestured her down.

"I'll never say no to a helping hand." Monica told her. Brody, Levi and Preston all quietly murmured some excuses and went back to the lines, pretending to get back to their own fishing.


	12. MayDecember

Calvin struggled to keep up as Hayley stormed away. She really could set a pretty impressive pace when she was upset, he had to kind of jog in order to catch up to her, and even then she was most of the way back towards the Town Centre.

"Hayley...Hayls, wait up!" Calvin called out as he tried to catch her. He wasn't entirely certain whether she couldn't hear him or whether she was just ignoring him because she really didn't want to be anywhere near her dad and Monica now that she had seen what she had, but either way he eventually managed to get her attention just as he caught up to her. "Hayley, are you alright?"

"Do I LOOK alright?" Hayley asked him. The short answer was no, no she really did not. There was a mixture of upset, disgust, confusion but mostly anger in her expression. He would not have been at all surprised if any minute steam started to come out of her ears. "Did...did you know about that?"

"Hey, I only see your dad as often as you do. It's not like he e-mails me details of his love life." Calvin assured her.

"Love life? HA!" She scoffed. Calvin could understand why Hayley was shocked by the fact she had just found out about her dad and Monica. It was more than a little bit of a surprise for him too. Aaron and Laura had divorced long before Hayley and Calvin knew him. He was, of course, aware that Hayley HAD a dad when they were friends all the way back in Kindergarten but by they had divorced before Calvin even really knew what the word meant. He remembered asking his own mom and dad about it when Hayley came to school crying one day because her dad told her he wasn't going to be living at home anymore and she was going to spend some of her time with him and some with her mom.

In all the years since, he couldn't say he had ever noticed signs of Aaron dating or even being at all interested in fostering romantic relationships at all. He was always so consumed with his work he seemed to have little time for anything else. It did, of course, mean that every year without fail whatever class Hayley was in got a field trip to the Aquarium and he would come and do a couple of presentations each year but other than that, he just seemed to be the fun guy that knew way too much about fish and the sea.

"Hayley, what's that meant to mean?" Calvin asked her. "I mean, sure it's a little strange but..."

"A little strange?" Hayley shrieked. "Calvin, she's...she's only a few years older than ME!"

"Well, yeah that's a little unusual." Calvin said as he conceded the point.

"Unusual?" She asked pointedly. "Cal, I'd think it was unusual if he started dating an oil company CEO. He's dating someone that's almost...that IS young enough to be his kid!"

She noticeably started to shake in a combination of anger and disgust.

"I mean, what is the attraction?" She asked. Calvin gulped.

"Is there any way I can answer that without getting hit?" He asked.

"It's just...WRONG and it's GROSS and WEIRD!" She said, starting to flail around. "I mean, what's the attraction? What do they even talk about? Are they having...? Oh God, I don't even want to think about that!"

"Hayley, maybe you just need to calm down a little." Calvin said. He started to back up a little as he saw the expression on her face noticeably harden. "I'm just saying, it's...not that hard to believe they might actually like each other."

"Oh please Calvin; this is obviously a pathetic mid-life crisis for dad!" Hayley yelled at him. "A girl half his age bats her eyelashes at him and next thing you know he's working out and eating healthier and cooking and..."

"And those are BAD things?" Calvin asked her. "You did always say that you'd like it if he could look after himself a little better."

"And her? What's in it for her?" Hayley asked him. "The only way a woman that much younger than a guy gets together with someone like my dad is because they've got something to gain!"

"I...seriously doubt that Monica's a gold-digger." Calvin told her.

"Calvin!" She shrieked.

"Well, for one thing, your dad spends almost everything he doesn't spend on food and rent on his work, and it's not like he gets paid a fortune anyway." Calvin reminded her. "Hell, there have been times your dad's hit ME up for a loan! I probably have more disposable wealth than your dad right now!"

"Well...she's got that internship!" Hayley reminded him. "And I'm sure a recommendation from someone as respected in the field as my dad will go a long way to impressing a PhD board..."

"Hayls, you have met Monica, right?" Calvin reminded her. "He was valedictorian...it wasn't even close, she beat the next competitor by more than a dozen GPA points! I don't think she needs THAT kind of help academically."

He put his arm around her, trying to soothe her as he came to speak to her.

"Hayley, I know it's a little unusual, but have you stopped to consider the fact that maybe...maybe they just actually like each other?" Calvin asked her.

"Calvin, there's no way that this is anything more than some fling..."

"Hayley, I'm a little surprised, I thought you might be a little more open-minded about this." Calvin responded.

"Open-minded?" She asked him incredulously. "What's that meant to mean?"

"What I mean is, we both thought Monica was cool. She's smart, she's thoughtful, she's pretty amazing, and it's not hard to see why someone might find all of that attractive." Calvin told her. "And your dad, well, he's funny, he's smart, he's definitely driven, he really knows what he wants out of life...some people like those kinds of things."

"Calvin, she is way too young..."

"And there are people that said we shouldn't be together either!" Calvin interrupted her sharply. Hayley just looked a little taken aback. "I love you, I love our time together and yes, I post our pictures online all the time! Do you have any idea how many people I report each week for posting really vile comments?"

"Vile...comments?" She asked him.

"I'm...not even going to dignify what they say by repeating it because frankly their opinion doesn't mean jack shit to me!" Calvin responded angrily. "The only thing that matters is that I love YOU. That's it, that's all that matters and I wouldn't have a second thought telling any one of those pathetic, bottom-dwelling shits that right to their face if they ever had the courage to crawl out from under their rocks!"

"Cal, it's not the same thing..."

"And what about it is different?" He asked her. "They only see a picture of us together and decide we shouldn't be together because of some stupid idea in their heads without even meeting us or getting to know us. Maybe you owe it to your dad and Monica to hear them out about this before you start calling Monica the world's least-ambitious gold-digger and your dad a cradle-robbing perv."

"You know why I love you?" Hayley asked him, beginning to soften a little. "Every now and then you say something really smart."

"Thanks." Calvin replied, before thinking about what she said. "Uh...I think."

"Just take the win." Hayley replied, kissing him softly. "I love you."

"I love you too." Calvin answered. "Come on, let's go back."

In an apartment in Harwood, a young woman with long, artificially coloured red hair was busy working on a large touch-screen monitor, creating some artwork. She was humming contentedly to herself as she did so, pondering every stroke of her fingers and contemplating how to bring the image in her mind to life.

Cat was a truly gifted artist, and while she had opted to stay in college, she was already getting a lot of commissions, which really helped out with the expenses. Early in her career, her artwork had come to the attention of Kira Ford, who had taken her on tour with her to create artwork for her merchandise and an album cover, and from there she ended up getting more and more offers, including an offer from Trent Fernandez to collaborate on a comic with her if she decided she ever wanted to try her hand at superheroes. She was determined to finish her college work and get her diploma but if she really wanted, she was already confident it would be possible for her to make a living.

She took a step back from the screen and started shifting around; viewing it from different angles, trying to think what worked and what didn't look quite how she wanted when the doorbell rang.

"Bing bong!" She chimed cheerfully, a little habit she had from childhood.

"Cat, can you see who that is?" A voice called in from the other room. Her wife, Gia, was in the other room, working through some of her own coursework. After her Ranger days, Gia had passed a High School equivalence test with flying colours and had gone from there to college pretty easily. It took her a little while and a couple of false starts and exploration to decide what she wanted to do, but she had eventually decided her future lay in law. It wasn't so long before that she would not have been allowed to marry Cat, the love of her life, and she still saw massive injustices in the law every day in the news. The doorbell sounded again. "Cat, answer the door!"

"Hello door!" She giggled playfully. Gia groaned.

"Alright, I'll..."

"Oh, I'm just teasing." Cat assured her. The doorbell sounded again. "I'm coming I'm coming!"

She got to the door and opened it, finding a familiar face; though one she hadn't seen in a couple of years standing before her. She smiled as she saw him.

"TOMMY!" She squealed, throwing herself into an enthusiastic hug, one he didn't return being considerably more restrained in his demeanour. "Gia, Gia, its Tommy! Come on in!"

"Hi." Tommy said, looking at Cat in a way she thought was a little odd. It was almost as though he was trying to remember who she was. While she hadn't actually met Tommy more than a couple of times, she would have thought that he'd have remembered her. "Mind if I come in?"

"Sure." Cat said, ushering him inside. By the time he was inside the apartment, Gia had marked up where she was in her work and come out to meet him. She smiled as she saw him.

"Tommy! Long time no see!" She greeted him. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I'm afraid it's not a social call." Tommy told her. "Get your morpher, I need your help."

"What? What's going on?" Gia asked him.

"Time's a factor. I'll explain on the way." Tommy told her.

"Do you want me to...?"

"No, I only need Gia." Tommy told her. "Thanks, um..."

He looked around, seeing an envelope on the sideboard.

"Catarina."

"Oh...OK." She replied, looking a little dejected. Gia pulled a key out of her pocket, opening up a locked drawer and pulling out her Corsair Morpher. She gathered up her leather jacket, throwing it on, before turning to Cat, holding her softly.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Gia told her. She kissed Cat, before turning to Tommy. "Let's go!"

As they left the apartment, Gia stuffed her morpher in her pocket.

"So, where are we going?" She asked him. "Are the others...?"

"Others are coming." Tommy interrupted her. "Come on, we need to go quickly!"

"OK, that's fine..." Her words tailed off as they got out into the street and a ship de-cloaked. She furrowed her brows. "Um...that looks an awful lot like Sledge's..."

"There's a good reason for that!" Sledge stated as he stepped into view, levelling a blaster at her. Gia immediately pulled into a guard.

"I was sure the Amber Beach team toasted your ass!" She called out. "Not to worry, I don't mind finishing off what they..."

As she reached for her morpher though, a hand grabbed her wrist. She looked back to see that Tommy had morphed into his Dino Charge Black mode...but it looked very different. The shoulder pads were black and had vicious looking spikes on them.

"What the f..."

The hilt of his Brachio Staff blurred into her face, laying her out cold on the concrete. Sledge came across, picking up her limp, motionless body.

"Nice work. I'll need to commend Draven on the quality of his work!" He said. "Come along Tommy-Droid. We have more Rangers to collect!"

As they were heading into the ship, the Tommy-Droid stopped, hearing something behind him. He turned to see the street empty, and a can rolling around. Surmising it must have got caught in the wind, he turned back, heading into the ship. As they took off, Sledge cloaked the ship once more, heading off to his next destination.

Back at the shores of the lake, the contestants were starting slowly but surely to pack up and leave the first day of competition. While there were strictly speaking no rules against how much of the weekend anyone was allowed to spend looking for Bruiser, and the only limit on how many fish anyone was allowed to catch was the legally mandated bag limits for the State, many of them were pretty casual fishers who probably only went fishing this one time a year, while others just wanted to do something other than fish all weekend.

The Rangers, all except for Hayley and Calvin, along with Aaron and Monica were just about to finish up. Monica was continuing repairs on the drone with Sarah, while Aaron had gone out into the lake in his SCUBA gear. Having already damaged their own drone, he was determined to set up a warning buoy to make sure no one else had their property damaged by whatever it hooked up on.

"Pass me that soldering iron please." Monica said to Sarah, who just wordlessly picked it up and handed it over. To say that everyone was a little quiet after Hayley had left would be an understatement. None of the Rangers really knew what to say and since they ultimately didn't know enough about what was going on to make any judgements, they didn't feel particularly comfortable saying much in case they made the situation worse. Levi was busy grilling up his catch.

"Dinner should be ready in a little while." He told them. "Believe me; you have not lived until you've tasted my blackened, barbecued..."

"Aaron!" Monica interrupted him as she put down the soldering iron, running out to meet him as he walked up onto the shore. She restrained herself from any more intimate greetings in front of the Rangers. She was smart enough to know their comparative silence had to be down to their reluctance to get involved and seem like they were taking sides, so she figured it was best not to push her luck on that matter. They had only just met her, so there was really no contest which way they would turn if it ended up a contest between her and Hayley.

"That's the buoy set, and I took a few pictures while I was down there." Aaron told them. "I don't know what the hell that thing is, but Harwood U's tech has always been a nightmare. I'm positive it has to be breaking a while laundry list of legislations, so a quick report to the EPA should hopefully prevent anyone else's property being damaged."

"I've done most of the repairs, but some of the damage was more extensive than I first thought." She told him. "I think we're going to need to call it quits and bring the drone back tomorrow."

"God Damn Harwood U!" Aaron snapped grumpily. "That Professor Sturgoen is going to get SUCH a long e-mail..."

"Wait...you're kidding right?" Brody sniggered. Everyone just stared at him. "What? The head of a University Marine Biology department is named STURGEON?"

"Believe me; it's about the closest he gets to being taken seriously!" Aaron said grumpily. "Harwood might get all sorts of fancy grants but it's my department that's publishing all the best work..."

"Aaron, no one doubts your work." Monica told him. "But you do have to admit, it is kind of funny the first time you hear it."

He just sniggered a little, at which the others joined in. It was a little childish, Professor Sturgeon couldn't exactly help the fact he had an ironic name for the field he ended up in. It also wasn't as though by now he hadn't heard every single joke about it that existed. Still, it was only because he and Aaron had run across each other a few times in their careers that Aaron didn't really think much about it anymore. But to someone outside the field hearing it for the first time, he had to imagine it did still sound a little amusing.

"The thing I do respect about it is he does use his own name." Aaron stated. "It's not a PLAICE holder!"

There were a few groans with that pun.

"I guess you could say he SKATES by on it!" Levi chipped in. There were some more groans and polite laughs. As they continued to talk, Monica noticed Hayley and Calvin coming back. She tugged on Aaron's sleeve and gestured towards them.

"Hayley, um..." Aaron started to say. "Levi says dinner should be..."

"Can we talk?" She asked. She jerked her head away to indicate she wanted to deal with this in private. Aaron just nodded.

"Of course." He said, heading off with Hayley. Monica stayed with the others, allowing Hayley and Aaron to get a chance to speak. They both stared at each other for a moment.

"Look, I just wanted..." They said together, before laughing nervously. Aaron gestured to Hayley to go first, but she insisted he speak.

"It was never our intention to spring this on you like this." Aaron told her apologetically. "Monica and I, we wanted to tell you, that's why we arranged this time together so that we could all have a fun weekend together before we could get a chance to tell you in private."

"Dad, you didn't tell me you were even dating anyone." Hayley reminded him.

"I know, I know, it's just...with us being at sea so long I didn't want to tell you in an e-mail or over the phone." Aaron continued. "I know it's a little bit of a surprise..."

"That's an understatement." Hayley muttered.

"I know it's a little bit of a surprise, hell, it was to me too!" He assured her. "Monica's an amazing woman. It's not often I see someone as passionate about the same things I am, and while we were working together we realised we had a lot in common..."

"Like what dad?" Hayley asked. "Monica's like, half your age!"

"Well...yes, there is a gap there I admit..."

"I guess I'm just wondering...I'm...I'm just trying to get my head around it." Hayley told him, trying to voice what was going through her mind. It was complicated because frankly she wasn't entirely sure what was going on in her mind. She still hadn't had much of a chance to process it herself.

"Well, there's our work, we both love that." Aaron told her.

"Your work? That's it?" Hayley asked him.

"Well, it's not just that." Aaron said as he realised how that must sound. "We just kind of, get each other you know? It's like, we like the same jokes, we enjoy the same food, the same wine..."

"Wine." Hayley whispered as something came back to her. "There were two wine glasses in the apartment when I came home."

"Hayley, that was..."

"No, I remember, I accidentally stepped on it, there was a second glass on the floor by the couch under some papers like...like you'd hidden it in a hurry."

"OK, so maybe when I heard the door..."

"The door." Hayley recalled, thinking back. "I heard the door slam behind me. You said the door return was broken and it just took a while."

"Hayley..."

"But it's been fine since then..." Hayley's eyes grew wide. "Was Monica in the apartment that night?"

"Hayley..."

"She was, wasn't she?" Hayley said, sweeping her dad's hands away as he reached out for her. She looked to him in disgust. "She was...she was still there when I got there wasn't she!"

"Hayley..."

"The door closing was her sneaking out!" Hayley shrieked. "I interrupted your, your...booty call!"

"Hayley, it wasn't like that!" Aaron told her. "We were hoping to talk to you when you got back from Zandar, but then you got held up and got home late. By the time you got home we thought you'd be tired and it wouldn't be the best time to discuss it but you got to the apartment before Monica's cab arrived..."

"DAD! Your booty call snuck out of the apartment while your DAUGHTER was in another room!" Hayley screeched. Aaron could feel this conversation slipping away from him very quickly. He had indeed intended to have a nice meal at home with his daughter and to explain the new situation to her, but the night had gotten away from them. When Hayley was considerably later from the airport than she should have been, he assumed her plane was delayed and she couldn't call him.

"Hayley, please try to calm down!" He begged her.

"Get away from me!" She screamed as she stormed away. "CAL! We're going!"

"Um...where are we going?" He mumbled through a mouthful of fish as he handed off his plate to Preston, running to catch up to her.

"I'm going home!" She snapped. "TO MY MOM!"

Calvin looked to Aaron regretfully, before getting into Nitro with Hayley and driving away. Aaron turned back to the others, heading back to them.

"I'm...sorry you had to see that." He said. They all just stared at him silently for what felt like an eternity.

"Fish?" Was all Levi could say, offering him a plate.


	13. A Close Wave

Trevor was in the house, pacing the room as he spoke on the phone. Laura was sitting on the couch for some moral support.

It wasn't easy for Trevor to ask for help. All his life he'd been the one giving help, never asking for it. Whether it was his time in Afghanistan or his work with the police force, he was at heart a very selfless person who always put others before himself. He was the kind of guy that would offer to stop at a store and get a kid some soda before taking him to the station after catching him shoplifting. It was one of the things she loved about him, but it was also clear that there had been a lot happen to him in his life that had harmed him deeply.

Trevor was never one to show his "weaknesses" as he saw them. Laura wasn't even sure that Hayley knew about his night terrors or his panic attacks. Out of respect for him she tried to keep those from her too, but things were starting to get wildly out of hand. She knew all about Gary, and his abusive ways towards Betty. Trevor had told her many times about him and she could completely understand his frustrations with him and the fact the system gave him startlingly little in the way of things he could do about it. She was grateful that the most harmful thing Calvin was likely to do to Hayley was forget a birthday or be late for a date or something. If someone was hurting Hayley there was pretty much nothing, she wouldn't do to make them stop. However, the fact that Trevor had hospitalised Gary and had only barely held onto his job were signs that things were getting on top of him.

After a discussion, almost an intervention between her and Spike, who Trevor had also almost come to blows with, he had agreed to ask the department if he could arrange sessions with the department's therapist. Since there were already no doubt questions over his fitness to return to work, since the only reason he even had a job to go back to and wasn't facing charges himself was because Gary had been "convinced" through a deal to drop the charges against Trevor, they were accommodating enough and assured him he'd get the time he needed.

"So, when can I arrange my first appointment?" He asked. "Really? Tomorrow at six PM? Um…yeah, sure, I'm just a little surprised you have an opening so soon. Sure, the sooner the better."

He wrote down the appointment on the pad next to the phone and tore it off.

"Sure thing, I'll see you then." Trevor said, before hanging up. He looked to Laura. "Well, it's done."

"Come here." Laura told him, gesturing to him to sit with her. He did so, at which she put her arm around him, cuddling him gently. "I'm so proud of you."

"Well, that makes one of us." Trevor sighed, thinking about the horror within him. He had already had trouble dealing with the horrors in his life long before Psycho Green came to him, but now it was becoming more and more clear that what he had seen initially as a gift, as the power he would need to deal with the threat that had all but torn his beloved home apart ever since the Rangers arrived, it was now clear that the mysterious being didn't just want to help him. It was taking control more and more, and when it did, very bad things happened! He had already tried to rid himself of Psycho Green, but short of destroying himself he couldn't think of any way to prevent it doing more harm, and even then, he couldn't be sure it wouldn't just find another host as it had done with him. It had waited seventy years for him, it wasn't beyond his belief that it would be able to await another.

"There's no shame in getting help Trevor." Laura assured him. "You've helped so many people over the years. It's not unfair to expect someone to help you when you need it."

"I'm not even sure how much help therapy will be." Trevor told her. "I mean, a lot of the things I've seen, a lot of the things that cause my panic attacks…much of it is classified under National Security. How can I talk through things I can't actually talk about?" It was a pertinent question in more than one way. If he told a therapist his problems were down to a dangerous alien taking control of his thoughts, there was no telling what would happen. Best case scenario, they'd think he was delusional and he'd end up in an institution. Worst case scenario, they'd believe him and he'd have to face Sterling!

"Well…there's such a thing as patient-therapist confidence too." She reminded him, furrowing her brows. "Huh…that's a point, I don't know what takes precedence, National Security or patient-therapist confidence."

They heard the door open, which was a little surprising. Hayley was the only other one with a key, and since it was Aaron's turn to have her, they really weren't expecting her. She came into the house, tossing her stuff into the corner.

"Hayley?" Laura asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Hayley?" Trevor asked, seeing how upset she appeared to be. They both went over, hugging her.

"Can I stay here tonight?" She asked them. "I just…I just really don't think I can face dad tonight."

"Of course, you can sweetheart." Laura assured her as they took her to the couch. "So, what happened?"

Hayley looked to them and took a deep breath, before starting to explain.

Elsewhere in the city, over at the Aquarium, Aaron and Monica were working on repairs to the drone so they could resume their search for Bruiser the following day. Sarah had come with them to help, but the others had all since gone home for the evening. Sarah was just so excited to work on the drone that she had invited herself to help them.

"I'm a little surprised how much tech there is in an aquarium." She commented, picking up some parts and bringing them to Monica. "I guess I never gave much thought to how much goes into finding all those species in the ocean."

"Not many people do." Monica told her. "I remember when I was about your age in biology class, they had someone from the aquarium come over to speak to us. I was just so amazed by all the different species and to imagine just how massive it all is down there. He told us how we're still finding mysteries on land, and to imagine how many lay beneath the waves. Over seventy percent of the world is underwater. It took almost two thousand years to fully explore the land, if we started seriously exploring today, how long would it take us to find all there is to find in the ocean?"

"That sounds so cool!" Sarah replied. She noticed the way Monica glanced at Aaron, who was noticeably quiet. "Wait…it was…?"

"If it wasn't for Aaron I definitely would never have ended up in this field." Monica replied honestly.

"So, do you think you might like to go into ocean exploration?" Monica asked her. Sarah just shrugged.

"I'm not so sure." She replied. "I mean, it does all seem really interesting, but I'm all about tech…I guess it's an idea though."

"You didn't have to come and help us you know." Monica told her. "I mean, we're grateful, you're doing great work, but…we'd have understood if you didn't want to help…"

"Yeah, I'm upset that Hayley's upset but I think that's really for you guys to sort out." Sarah told her.

"Thank you." Monica said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That really means a lot."

"Well, I try not to be too judgemental about people's families." Sarah sighed. "My dad…he did some really bad stuff a while back. It made it really hard to like him at times but he's spent a long time making up for it and turning things around. Now he's got his own business, he's been sober for almost four years and I couldn't be prouder of him."

"Sarah, it's getting late." Aaron told her. "It's probably about time we were getting you home."

"It's alright, it's only…oh SHOOT! It really is late!" Sarah commented. "Um…will you be alright here with this?"

"We should be able to finish up tonight things to you." Monica assured her, gathering up her jacket. "Come on, I'll take you home. I'll be back in a little while Aaron."

"I'll be right here waiting." Aaron replied as he continued his work. Monica took Sarah and headed for the door.

Over at the Romero Farm, Brody and Dane were having dinner, which allowed Redbot time to read more of the diary. There was a part of him that knew he should probably stop reading and tell Dane that he had found it, but he just couldn't resist going on. It was more compelling than any of the stories he had read.

"Four years, for four years I've watched him grow. Dane and Emilia were playing with Aiden. I find myself torn. When I gave them Aiden, I always wanted them to be this happy. Dane has never been happier. There's practically never a day I don't see him smile in the way that captured my heart." Mariko's diary went on. "Though I can't help watching Dane with Aiden and wishing that it was me that completed that family, I knew what I signed up for when I offered to help. At least I thought I did…

Emilia came to me, with tears streaming down her face. At first, I wondered what was wrong, but very quickly I could tell she was happy, happier than I've ever seen her. She sat me down as she gave me the 'wonderful' news.

'I'm Pregnant!' Two words that may well have been a spear right through my heart. They were always told that it was unlikely Emilia would ever be able to conceive. They had no idea it was even possible! A miracle is the way the doctor described it. I have to be happy for them, and Emilia is quick to assure us that there will be no difference between how they treat Aiden and the new baby. I only hope she is as good as her word. I've sacrificed everything for the man I love. I will give them the chance to prove they are serious about treating them both the same, I only pray I will never have to intervene and tell Aiden the truth."

"Oh my!" Redbot said gently, closing over the book, almost as if he hoped doing so would make the story not true as he realised what this meant. He could hardly believe what he was reading. It was so prominent in his mind, he didn't notice as Brody came up to him.

"Hey Redbot, what are you reading?" Brody asked. He saw the book was closed, so he took it from Redbot, assuming he was finished.

"It's just…"

"Hey, isn't that the diary Levi was looking for?" Brody asked.

"Uh…"

"That's great! You found it!" Brody declared.

"Brody I…"

"I can give this back to Levi tomorrow!" Brody said with a smile. "Where did you find it?"

"Uh…"

"You know what? It doesn't matter. Levi's going to be so happy to get this back!" Brody told him. "Thanks, Redbot!"

"Yeah…any time." Redbot said as Brody left. He was now starting to wonder if perhaps it would have been better if he left the diary where he found it.

In the dead of night, Trevor found himself unable to sleep, and fearing he'd wake either Laura or Hayley, he'd opted to go and watch some television instead.

There wasn't much on at this time of night, but he didn't really care, he just wanted something, anything else to occupy his mind other than what was going on. Hayley had explained to them about Aaron and his new relationship. It was a little bit of a surprise that he was even in a relationship. Trevor wondered if he was even capable of having a relationship with anyone or anything other than his work.

He was staring at the screen, when it started to flicker. He started to wonder if there was something up with the television, and crossed over to it, when all of a sudden there was a blinding pain in his head. He clutched his head, blinking as he tried to power through it. He headed to the kitchen to try and get some aspirin, but when he got there, it came again, this time strong enough to bring him to his knees. There was a high-pitched whine in his ears that was deafening and he felt like calling out, but he couldn't will himself to do so. Before long, everything faded to black and he collapsed onto the floor.

Back at the aquarium, Monica arrived, hanging her jacket up in the corner as she returned.

"Did Sarah get home alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, her parents are pretty cool with her being out late." Monica told him. "Once they heard where she was, they were more interested in finding out if she was talking about internships or grants! They are super into Sarah's options, apparently she's applying to university pretty much everywhere…"

"Well, if it's something she's interested in I suppose we could always talk to her about it." Aaron replied. "It's not like internships cost the aquarium anything."

"Don't I know it." She chuckled. "I am so looking forward to the day someone invents an internship that actually pays."

"Yeah." He sighed. Monica could see that not much progress had been made on the drone, and could see that he was rather down about something.

"Aaron, is everything alright?" She asked him. Aaron pulled out two glasses and a bottle of rum. She just sighed. "That isn't a good sign."

"Monica…I think we really need to talk." Aaron told her. Monica just took the bottle and started pouring.

"And that's even less of a good sign." She replied, pouring them both a glass. "I have a feeling I'm going to need this and…"

Aaron reached into the freezer and pulled out some ice-cream.

Over at the lake, Wrench and Doombot waited in some bushes until the last of the contestants left. They crept up to the lake as soon as they were sure they were alone.

"I thought they'd never leave." Doombot muttered. "Why are people so interested in fishing around here?"

"I don't know, but we don't have long until sunrise so get your butt in gear!" Wrench told him. "You keep watch, I'll go do the repairs."

"But it's my machine…"

"Just do it!" Wrench told him. "We can't be out here when the Rangers come back or they'll know something's up!"

"Alright, whatever!" Doomwave stated, gripping his spear. "But you better do a good job!"

"Don't worry." Wrench responded, wading into the lake. "You just worry about the Rangers."

Elsewhere in the city, there was a flash of green lightning and Trevor appeared in an alleyway, dressed in his uniform. He had an intense, focused look on his face, and his eyes flashed green as he started to make his way onto the street.

He walked along, ignoring everyone on the street as he headed for an apartment block. Getting to the door, he forced it open with ease, the locking mechanism giving way completely in his hand.

He ran up the stairs, all the way to the correct floor before finding the correct apartment. Verifying the number, he pulled out his nightstick and jammed it into the door handle, jerry-rigging it to wedge the door closed, before turning and heading back out, running down the stairs.

When he got outside, his armour segmented and formed up around him. Psycho Green summoned up his power, casting out an energy wave at the apartment block. It slammed into it, rocking the whole building. By the time the second wave hit, people were screaming and realised that they were under attack.

More and more energy beams hit the building, while the inhabitants inside ran outside in a blind panic. Psycho Green powered up one final attack, throwing it at the building. It crumbled and started to collapse in on itself, falling down in a massive cloud of dust and a huge fireball.

"It's him! It's Psycho Green!" Someone screamed, pointing at him. The inhabitants of the apartment block all froze in terror, but without a word, Psycho Green disappeared in a flash of lightning.

The following morning, the Rangers had returned to the lake to carry on with the competition. Levi had once again resolved to go for the very casual approach of just tossing a couple of lines into the lake and hoping for the best, while the others were more there just for the day. Brody handed the diary over to Levi as he finished setting up.

"You're saying Redbot found it?" Levi asked. "I was sure I had searched everywhere…"

"Well, obviously not." Brody replied with a shrug.

"Where did he find it?" Levi asked him.

"I don't know, I never asked." Brody told him with a little shrug. "I was just happy to know you'd get it back."

"I thought I'd lost this thing for good." Levi said with a smile. "I guess it'll give me something to read while we wait for…"

"GUYS!" They heard someone screaming. They all turned to see Hayley running over. Calvin was struggling to keep up with her. She stopped to catch her breath as she arrived.

"Um…Hayley, what's up?" Brody asked her.

"Guys, have you heard the news?" She asked.

"Uh…I left before I saw the news this morning." Preston told her. The others kind of nodded in agreement. Hayley pulled out her phone, showing them a report.

"Guys, Psycho Green attacked the city last night!" She told them. "He attacked my dad's apartment block!"

"He did?" Levi asked.

"According to the reports he completely levelled it! Emergency services are still searching!" She screamed at them. "We have to get out there and…"

"Uh…Hayley?"

"Oh my God, if I'd gone home with dad I'd have been there and I could have…"

"Hayley…"

"Guys, we have to go there and help them dig!" Hayley continued to rattle off. "If anything's happened to him…we have to…"

"HAYLEY!" They all called out together. Hayley just stared at them.

"What?" She asked.

"Um…your dad's right over there." Brody told her, pointing to the van. Aaron was just coming out of the van, and looked up to see Hayley.

"Hayley, I wasn't sure you'd…" He was silenced as Hayley threw herself at him, hugging him tightly. "Wow…I didn't expect…"

"Dad, where were you last night?" She asked him.

"I was working late at the lab so I stayed in the cot there." Aaron told her. "Why?"

Hayley didn't answer, instead just squeezing him tightly as relief washed over her.


	14. More Than a Drone

In the Marx house, Trevor was taking care of some chores to pass the time. He still wasn't sure what exactly he would or even could talk about in his session with the department therapist, but he was certain that he couldn't go on the way he had been.

Down in the basement, he was going through some old boxes of papers, trying to figure out what if any of the assortment of old magazines and papers he would ever be likely to read again and what was to go out for recycling. It was complete mindless busy work, but it was something to do to occupy his mind and keep busy.

"Trevor?" Laura called down to him. Trevor put aside the pile he was working on and headed upstairs.

"Something I can help you with?" He asked. Laura just pointed to his uniform sitting in a heap on the kitchen floor.

"I didn't think you needed it cleaned yet." She told him. "And you missed the laundry basket by…quite a distance." Trevor looked just as confused as she did. He went over to his uniform, picking it up, but finding it a lot heavier than he expected. They were both startled as his gun fell out of his holster and landed on the floor.

"What the…?" Laura asked, looking a little panicked. Being a cop, Trevor knew all too well the dangers guns posed when handled carelessly. He'd responded to many gunshot injuries, and it was startling how many of them were caused by the victim's own gun! Accidental discharges caused by people mishandling their guns or storing them improperly contributed very significantly to the number of deaths and injuries caused each year. Between his police and military training, Trevor was always extremely careful with his guns, making sure he stored them properly in his gun safe and always unloading them.

"I…I…I don't understand. I never…I never do anything like this." Trevor stammered. Laura breathed a deep sigh.

"Trevor, you have been under a lot of strain…"

"No, I'm sure I hung my uniform up. I put my gun away…" He said, trying to make sense of what he had seen. "Why would I try and put the holster into the wash?"

He checked through the belt, finding most of his equipment was still there. His mace spray, his handcuffs, his radio…the only thing missing was his nightstick. He couldn't even imagine why he'd put the holster into the laundry with his uniform anyway, certainly not with all his gear in it, and definitely not with a loaded gun!

"Hey, check that out." Laura said, looking to the TV as a news report played.

"…The Notorious Psycho Green Ranger attacked Summer Cove once again last night, this time hitting the East Village." The reporter stated. "While it is still unknown what the motivation was, all that's known at this time was that this apartment block was completely destroyed. Although eyewitnesses say that many of the residents made it to the emergency exits before the collapse, Emergency Services are still sifting through the wreckage looking for victims…"

"The East Village?" Laura asked. "That's Aaron's place isn't it?"

This was the question that Trevor dreaded more than anything. He recognised the address, he had some time from the previous night after he went downstairs that he couldn't accommodate for. His uniform wasn't where he left it.

He looked into a mirror, spooked as he saw Psycho Green nodding.

'Oh God' He thought to himself. 'What have I done?'

On the Romero Farm, Mick and Dane were back at work on the latest Power Star. It turned out actually creating the Power Star was simple enough. It wasn't as though they weren't practiced enough at that by now, but now came the really difficult part.

To say that the Ninja Nexus Prism was mysterious in its intentions was more than a little bit of an understatement. While it would provide them with images whenever it felt they were ready for a new weapon or Zord, the exact nature of those images and the intent behind them was very open to interpretation. Sometimes it was very simple to ascertain its intent, but other times…it wasn't quite so clear. Sometimes they needed more than just the star itself to access their new power.

"Well, it's very definitely a new Zord." Dane sighed, watching as the images shimmered and played out again and again. "It's some kind of big purple…surfer?"

"Well, yeah but it also seems to have some other mode." Mick told him. "That looks like a submarine."

"So why isn't the star energised like the others?" Dane asked him.

"Look, it seems to need some other component. Kind of like when the Lion Fire Zord Star attached to the Lion Ship." Mick answered. "We just need to figure out what it needs to connect to."

Their attention was grabbed as they heard vehicles coming in the driveway. They both headed out of the workshop to find Brody's truck and Nitro pulling into the yard. As Brody, Levi, Preston, Sarah and Calvin all disembarked, they came out to greet them.

"Hey guys." Dane greeted them. "Not that I mind the surprise but we weren't expecting you. We thought you were all still at that contest."

"Yeah, none of us felt much like fishing." Brody told him. "Hayley's dad had a close call with Psycho Green last night."

"He did?" Mick asked.

"Well…close call as in Psycho Green levelled his apartment building while Aaron was nowhere near it." Sarah clarified as they headed for the workshop. "Turns out for once being a workaholic was a GOOD thing for him. He crashed at the Aquarium."

"But he did attack the apartment block Aaron lives in?" Dane asked. "That seems like a strange thing to do if it wasn't a tactical move."

We've got no reason to think he knows who we are. He's had plenty of chances to come at us at school or at home." Preston told him. "And frankly, I for one would really rather not overthink that possibility."

"I know I for one would really appreciate him not inviting himself to Game Night with the intention of playing a way too realistic version of Clue." Sarah said with a little bit of a shudder.

"But why else would he attack that building?" Dane asked.

"No offence dad, but he literally has the word 'Psycho' in his name." Levi reminded him. "I don't think he needs too much of a reason to do anything."

"Still, it means now Aaron's going to have to find somewhere else to stay." Brody told him. "Hayley's at the University helping him arrange a unit at the accommodation block."

"We all offered to help, but until the cops have finished investigating the scene there's no point going to see if he even has anything left." Calvin chipped in. "Not that Mr Foster ever did have much to begin with. I guess that's one of those rare instances not being materialistic is a good thing."

"Hey, what's going on with the Nexus Prism?" Preston asked, looking to it. The Prism was still glowing in the corner, and playing the images over and over.

"It started acting up yesterday, it created a new star for us." Dane told him. "But…it doesn't seem to power up."

"It looks almost like the Lion Fire Zord Star before it attached to the Lion Ship." Mick explained. "It seems to need another component, something we're missing, but we don't know what…"

"Guys, you're seeing the same thing I am right?" Preston interrupted him. The Rangers all nodded.

"You know something about this?" Dane asked.

"The Zord, it has two modes, a surfer and a submarine." Calvin stated. "The submarine, it kind of looks like Aaron's drone."

"Aaron's drone?" Mick asked them. "Are you sure?"

"It's a purple submarine it's kind of hard to mistake!" Levi commented. "Aaron took it back to the University with him."

"Then we need to get out there and…"

Just then an alarm sounded. They all went to one of the monitors.

"What is it?" Calvin asked. "Is it Psycho Green?"

"No, it looks like one of Odious' goons." Preston stated. "He kind of looks like a half-inflated dinghy."

"And…he's attacking at the lake…where we just left!" Levi said, throwing up his hands. "Isn't that perfect?"

"We'll take the Mega Morph Cycles. We need to get out there before he causes too much trouble." Brody told them, tossing Mick the keys to his truck. "Mick, head to the University. If Aaron's drone is the key to this new Zord, then we need to figure out a way to get him to let us have it."

"And I'm meant to convince him to give up a project that represents several years of his life…how exactly?" Mick asked him.

"You'll figure it out!" Brody replied as they ran off, morphing on the way. "You always do!"

At the site of the apartment attack, rescue workers were still sifting through the remains of the apartment block.

No one knew for sure just yet who was and wasn't in the apartment block. Due to the transitory nature of the building, with many tenants only staying a scant few weeks to a couple of months at a time, it was difficult to ascertain who exactly was likely to be in the building. It was a tiring and time-consuming search, and while they knew already that a lot of people had managed to get out of the emergency exits, they were well aware that there could well be a lot of people still trapped…or worse.

Grace Sterling pulled up and got out of her car, making her way to the tape and showing her identification.

"Agent Sterling, I'm a little surprised to see you out here." One of the officers at the scene told her. "I'd have thought you'd just wait for the report."

"Psycho Green's a top priority." Grace told him bluntly. There were a lot of reasons Psycho Green was of great personal interest to her. Not only because the dagger had been stolen from her office, and not just because he was a dangerous monster, but because he was still something that existed in her nightmares. The Moon Mission still haunted her to this day, and knowing that Psycho Green was on the loose was the very depths of all her fears rolled into one. She didn't care if he levelled a city, destroyed an apartment block, or even if he was just seen jay-walking. If there was reports of Psycho Green having made an appearance, she wanted to know all about it. "So, what do we have?"

"What we have is a huge mess." The officer told her. "We've not found casualties yet, but you should see what we have pulled out. It looks like we should have had a narc unit kick the door in down here years ago."

"That's not really that interesting." Sterling said somewhat sarcastically. "Something tells me he wasn't down here looking to score a dime-bag."

"Well, if you're looking for something interesting, maybe you should check this out." Someone called over, shifting some debris. As they came over, they saw that it was a night stick, which appeared to be trapped in a door handle. "I know it's not exactly illegal, but this thing looks like it's department issue."

"Check the radio logs, see if there were any units down here last night." Grace told them. She put on a glove and grabbed the night stick, freeing it from the wreckage, inspecting it carefully. "Get this to the lab."

"You think one of ours might be buried under here?" One of them asked.

"Maybe." She replied as they bagged up the night stick. "Tell me if you find anything else. I don't care what it is, how small."

Over at the University, Aaron was in his lab with Hayley, talking on the phone. It had only been a few hours since he'd found out his apartment had been destroyed and left him functionally homeless. All things considered, he was considering himself lucky that he wasn't there, but it did leave him now with more than a few practical issues to resolve, not least of which was where he was going to be staying that night.

"So, you have some things I can borrow?" Aaron asked. "Thank you. Anything you can lend me would be a great help."

He hung up the phone and looked at Hayley.

"Chas has some clothes he's able to give me." Aaron said with a little bit of a smile. "I may not be a material guy, but even I don't like to wear the same clothes day in day out."

"You're really handling this very well." Hayley said to him. Although she had a room in Aaron's apartment, she didn't really keep many of her possessions there. A few clothes to cover the time she stayed with him, but pretty much anything of any value she kept at her mom's place, and her school supplies were in her locker at the school. "I'm not sure I'd be so philosophical."

"I don't really own much that can't be replaced." Aaron said with a note of sadness in his voice. "I'm more upset about having to go looking for another apartment. The residential office told me they'd call me if anything becomes available, but until then it looks like your old man's going to be couch surfing for the foreseeable future."

"Couch surfing?" Hayley asked him.

"I know we were meant to have this month together, but under the circumstances I think it's best you go back to Laura and Trevor's." Aaron told her.

"No, I mean…you're going to be couch surfing?" She asked him.

"I don't have much choice." Aaron answered. "A hotel would be nice for a night or two but after that money's going to be a factor."

"No, I just mean…I kind of thought you'd be staying with Monica." Hayley answered. Aaron just looked to her.

"Monica and I broke up." He told her. Hayley was a little surprised, and a part of her did worry that this wasn't a great time since having somewhere he could stay more than a night or two would be for the best, but she'd be lying if she said there wasn't a part of her that felt like smiling.

"Aw, dad that's…"

"You don't need to pretend." Aaron sighed deeply. "It's pretty obvious you weren't exactly on board with the relationship."

"Dad, it's…I mean…I just…" She started to stammer. "Dad, I just worry about you."

"I know you do." Aaron replied. "And don't think I don't appreciate it. I might not have done much well, but I like to think I had a pretty great girl."

He kissed her on the cheek, at which she smiled, but she couldn't help feeling something else at the same time. Instead of being happy at making up with her dad, there was still a nagging, dull feeling in her chest that she couldn't quite shake. Just then, a couple of guys in coveralls came in.

"So, where is it Dr Foster?" One of them asked. Aaron pointed towards his drone.

"Just over there guys." He told them. "Tell the engineering department to salvage what they can then send it to recycling."

"Wait, dad…what's going on?" Hayley asked him. She saw the two men picking up the drone and went over, putting her hands on top of it. "What are you doing? Dad!"

"The drone's broken." Aaron told her sadly. "Most of the damage is in the processers and that was more Monica's area of expertise than mine."

"So, she can fix it." Hayley said to him. Aaron shook his head and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright honey. Some things just aren't meant to be." Aaron replied. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go and talk to Coach Williams about how long he can put me up."

As the two men in coveralls took the drone away and Aaron left to find Coach Andrews, Hayley found a seat and sat down, putting her head in her hands. Her dad had already lost his apartment and his girlfriend, but now it seemed he had lost the project he had dedicated years of his career and significant amounts of donor's money to. It seemed that he and Monica couldn't bring themselves to keep working on the drone together, and without her, he couldn't repair it. There was nothing more important to her dad than his work, and the drone was going to be the crown jewel of his career. Now, it looked like that was in pretty much the same shape as her dad's apartment.

"What have I done?" She asked herself.

Over at the lake, Doomwave and some kudabots were attacking the contest, creating a panic. Doomwave normally didn't face opponents directly. Normally his preferred method was to let his machine take care of those he was facing and then come and clean up what was left. However, Madame Odious had insisted that she wanted him to draw the Rangers to the lake to bring them right into the path of the tsunami. His physiology was built to withstand the harsh conditions of the ocean, so he knew he had nothing to worry about, but the Rangers they were hoping would be destroyed if they were sitting right at ground zero when the first waves hit.

He heard a blast and turned to see some kudabots flying, just as the Rangers arrived, skidding their Mega Morph Cycles to a halt. They confronted him with their weapons drawn.

"Alright, I don't care what you call yourself, you better clear on out of here before we give you a serious puncture!" Brody warned him.

"Wait, I thought there were six of you!" He protested.

"It'll only take five to keel haul you!" Preston shot back. Sarah just face-palmed.

"Can we skip the boat puns and just get rid of this guy?" Sarah asked them.

"Well, I can always wait on your friend." Doomwave told them. "In the meantime, I'll make the rest of you walk the plank!"

As the Rangers rushed towards Doomwing and his companions, Sarah just sighed.

"This is going to be one of THOSE fights, I can just tell." She muttered.

Back at the University, Hayley was still deep in thought when Mick came rushing in, looking around in a panic.

"Hayley, where's your dad?" Mick asked her.

"He should be around somewhere. He was looking for someone's couch to stay on tonight." Hayley explained.

"Right, um…here's the thing. We kind of need his drone." Mick told her. Hayley just furrowed her brows.

"His drone?" She asked him. "What for?"

"Well, the Nexus Prism made this Zord Star for us." Mick said as he showed her the Purple Power Star. "But in the vision, it showed your dad's drone so, it looks like we need it."

"But it's broken." Hayley answered.

"Oh, well that's alright, I'm sure we can just get your dad to fix it." Mick replied, looking around. "And where is it?"

"It's on its way to be recycled." She told him.

"Well, that's a problem." Mick stated. "You see, the Nexus Prism seems to think it's pretty important to this whole thing."

"But its broken!" Hayley reiterated.

"So, we fix it!" Mick said again.

"Well, if you know about coding and processors…"

"I'm afraid that's not really my forte." Mick said, sucking his teeth. "But wait, Monica knows about that stuff, so we're good right?"

"Uh…not so much." Hayley told him. "Monica and my dad are…not working together anymore."

"Oh?" Mick asked.

"They're…not together anymore." She said, rather morosely. Mick pondered what she said for a moment, before jumping with excitement.

"I have an idea!" Mick declared. "How about we both go our separate ways and hope one of is figures out how to fix things?"

"MICK?" She called after him as he started to run away. He skidded to a halt and turned back. "Mick, that's a horrible idea! I don't know anything about the drone at all!"

"Oh…so…you're saying splitting up a good team would be a BAD thing?" Mick asked her. Hayley just gave him a withering look.

"Alright, alright, point taken." She groaned. "I just…didn't get my head around the relationship. I couldn't understand it…"

"Well, do you have to?" Mick asked her. Hayley, I know he's your dad and I know you love each other, but his relationship with Monica, whatever that is…that's their business isn't it?"

"I…I guess." Hayley answered tentatively. Mick put his hands on her shoulders, looking into her eyes.

"Every relationship can be a bit weird from the outside looking in." Mick told her. "But if the people in the relationship are happy, then…what difference should it make to anyone else?"

"I've majorly screwed this up, haven't I?" Hayley asked. Mick just nodded.

"On a scale of one to ten, I'd give this about 8,497." Mick told her.

"Well there's no need to rub it in!" She answered, before she thought of something. "Mick, the drone's been taken to engineering to be stripped for parts before recycling. No one will be in the department until tomorrow, so it should still be there!"

"Where are you going?" Mick asked her. She took the Zord Star from him.

"You go save the drone, I'll do the rest!" She told him as she ran off. She knew that Monica and her dad were obviously upset about the break-up and it was unlikely they'd just change their minds and work together. However, she had to wonder if maybe they just needed to be asked by the right person!


	15. Tides of Battle

Aaron headed to his lab, summoned by a strange message on his cell phone. He didn't recognise the number, it wasn't one of the numbers on his contacts list, but the text message insisted he was needed urgently.

He really didn't know what was so urgent, most of the university staff didn't work across the weekend, and given the fact that only hours before he had lost pretty much everything he owned and was still trying to figure out plans for what to do about where he would live and how he would get him enough clothes to get by until his next pay came through.

When he got to the lab, he found his drone sitting on a work bench, and a wild-haired man in coveralls he could swear he'd never even seen before. He pointed to the man.

"Did you send the message?" He asked. Mick just looked around confused. Hayley had told him to find the drone and bring it back from the engineering department where Aaron had sent it to get harvested for spare parts. She hadn't actually told him what her plan was, and beyond bringing the drone back he really had no idea what Hayley was intending to do.

"Uh…well…um…I…"

"Wait, that's my drone!" He stated. "How did you get it?"

"Uh…"

"In fact, who are you? I've never seen you around here before!" He demanded. "Do you have ID on you?"

"Um…I…uh…"

"Aaron?" Monica asked as she arrived. She looked just as surprised to see him there as he was. "What's all this?"

"I don't know! I just got a message telling me to be here…"

"I just got the same message!" Monica interrupted him, showing him her phone. "I didn't recognise the sender; it just said I needed to be here urgently and…"

Her words tailed off and she looked to Mick, before looking back to Aaron.

"And who's this guy?" She asked him.

"That's a really good question! One I hope he has a good answer for!" Aaron demanded. They both stared at Mick, waiting for an explanation. It wasn't really that easy for Mick to offer once since he didn't know what he was meant to be there for either.

"Hi, I'm Mick." He said, waving a little nervously.

"Well, 'Mick', mind telling us what we're here for?" Monica asked him.

"Now that is a really good question." Mick told them. "You see, the thing is…"

Just then, there was a loud bang and a cloud of smoke filled the room. Monica and Aaron backed away, while Mick just stared on. He'd seen the Rangers use smoke bombs to mask an entrance or an exit before, but he didn't really know why one was being set off now. Hayley appeared through the cloud, morphed and ready. She stood before them as they all stared at her in silence, Aaron and Monica in surprise, Mick just by virtue of the fact he had no idea what in the hell she was doing.

"I thank you all for answering my urgent message." Hayley said in a forced, fake, comically deep voice in an effort to disguise herself.

"The White Ranger?" Aaron asked.

"I am such a fan!" Monica rushed out. "You…you messaged us?"

"We are in dire need of your help!" Hayley continued in her deep voice, which caused Mick to just stare at her like he wasn't sure if he should be laughing or worried that she was about to blow her own cover. "I've summoned each of you here because you have skills that we need for a very special purpose. We need you to repair this drone!"

"The drone?" Aaron asked, looking more than a little confused. "What possible reason would the Power Rangers have for needing my drone?"

Hayley pulled out the Purple Power Star, showing it to them.

"This star, we believe, will transform this drone into a powerful weapon we need to defeat our latest enemy!" She told them. "However, first, we need you to repair it."

"I'm not sure that's such a great idea." Aaron said regretfully. Hayley could have kicked herself for that. Aaron and Monica built the drone in the first place. If anyone could fix it in time, it would be them. Unfortunately, thanks to her, she could see they weren't comfortable about the idea of being around each other.

"Please da…" Hayley started to say, before catching herself and correcting herself and adopting her fake voice again. "…um…Mr Foster. The fate of the whole world could rely on you."

Aaron looked to the drone, and then back to Monica.

"Well, I suppose I always did want to save the world." He remarked as he gestured to the drone. "How about it? One last time for old times' sake?"

"Who wouldn't want to be able to say they helped the Rangers?" Monica agreed, taking off her jacket and hanging it up, pulling out her toolkit. "Let's get to work."

Over at the lake, kudabots had been sent down to help Doomwave in his battle against the Rangers. Even the most dim-witted of Odious' followers could count to six and realised that the whole team wasn't there and so her orders for now were to try and draw out the full team so that they were all at ground zero when Doomwave activated his Tsunami Machine.

While for the most part people were sensible enough to leave, panic always caused people to act in very strange ways, and the team were finding their efforts divided as they tried to thin out the ranks against them and clear a way for the last few people to get away safely. Levi and Brody were busy keeping Doomwave as far from potential casualties as possible.

Sarah vaulted from a picnic table, somersaulting over some kudabots to cut them down from behind as they closed in on some kids sheltering underneath it. She grabbed the table, flipping it off them.

"You're not going to be safe here!" She declared. "Head that way, follow the crowd! We'll cover your escape!"

"Hey!" Preston called out as he saw a couple of girls in some nearby bushes. "HEY! Get out of here!"

He was slightly surprised, while others were either hiding or running, they appeared to be picking up sticks, stones, pretty much anything they could lay their hands on and throwing them at the kudabots. It was impressive bravery, but also the kind of thing that could just attract unhealthy attention to them. He ran over towards them, blasting down some kudabots that were drawn by the barrage of missiles heading towards them. One kudabot had actually grabbed one of the girls, but he managed to pull it off, blowing its head off before turning to her.

"Hey, you've got guts, but you might want to leave this to the professionals." He said. The girl just stood, staring at him, a smile crossing her face. "You should probably get out of here, head to the left, I'm sure someone will give you a lift."

The girl just continued to smile at him, shifting a little uneasily. Eventually the other girl touched her arm, turning her towards her.

"Sandy, we should go!" The other girl told her, before turning to Preston. "We just wanted to help..."

"Well the best way you can help is to clear out of here." Preston told her, looking away as he saw Brody and Levi hitting the ground a little way from him, before scrambling back to their feet and running back towards Doomwave. "These things tend to get a little wild and even in the suits they hurt like hell!"

"We're just going." The other girl said, turning Sandy towards her. "Sandy, come on! They want us to clear out!"

Sandy nodded, but looked back to Preston and smiled as the other girl dragged her away. Preston watched them go, grinning under his helmet as he saw them go.

"Wow, they...they're definitely something."

"Hey, Presto, if it's not too much trouble, mind getting back in this thing?" Calvin yelled at him, tossing a plastic bottle which rebounded off Preston's head to get his attention. Preston shook his head clear.

"Oh...right, of course!" He answered.

"That's almost all the kudabots!" Sarah called out as she rammed her sword though one, while firing a couple of blasts into another with her Ninja Blaster. "Scratch that, make that all of them!"

Calvin, Sarah and Preston all ran to join Brody and Levi as they faced off against Doomwave, who now realised he was on his own. He started to back up as he saw them coming towards him.

"Alright, you've had your fun. Get out of here before we deflate you permanently." Calvin told him. Doomwave pulled out a small device.

"Screw it! I don't care what Odious says I'm not waiting for the White Ranger any longer!" He stated. "Prepare to wave goodbye to your city Rangers!"

"Guys, look out he's going to..." Preston started to say as he pressed the button. They all stood and looked around in confusion for a minute as they waited for something...anything...to happen. "...um...do something I guess?"

"That was underwhelming." Calvin added, looking to Doomwave. "Are you sure that thing's working? What's it even meant to do?"

Levi looked down as he felt something hit his foot, looking down and seeing that a wave had come out of the lake, hitting his foot. He shook Sarah by the shoulder.

"Sarah, is it just me or did that wave reach a lot further than the others?" He asked her. She looked around for tide marks to judge that, but soon she was hit around about the ankles by another wave.

"OK, that is definitely getting higher!" She stated.

"Guys, look!" Brody yelled, pointing out at the lake. While it had been relatively still before, it was now starting to churn up a lot more and large waves were lapping up towards the shore. "What did you do?"

"I activated my Tsunami Machine!" He said proudly.

"Tsunami?" Preston asked, looking down at his damp boots.

"It takes a little while to work up OK?" Doombot snapped at him. "Before long, my machine will wipe your city from the face of the Earth...and you along with it!"

"Not if we get that controller from you!" Brody yelled as they ran for Doombot. Sarah got onto her communicator.

In the Marx house, Trevor was feeling his insides churning up as he tried to kill time until his counselling session. He already knew that he was losing control to Psycho Green, but now he was starting to worry that he wasn't far from losing control completely.

He was sitting with a packet of cashew nuts, watching the local news on a cycle as they updated their accounts of the attack.

"A spokesperson from Summer Cove Police Department has just confirmed that tragically another body has just been pulled from the rubble, bringing the confirmed casualty list to seven." The reporter stated. "While most of the residents escaped, a great many were injured and some are in critical condition at the hospital where some are in such critical condition that our source on the scene would not even confirm a prognosis as to whether they would live out the night. With the seven dead already in addition to the thirteen security and Senatorial hopeful William Tracker, this takes Psycho Green's personal casualty count to 21. We are currently awaiting a statement from Homeland Security on the Government's response to..."

The television cut out, at which Trevor looked to Laura.

"You shouldn't be watching that, you know it only gets you riled up." She told him, hanging up the phone. "You should be trying to relax before your first session."

"I'm a cop Laura, I'm meant to..."

"You're meant to help, but first and foremost that means you need to be fit to serve." She reminded him. "They say 'Physician, heal thyself', but I'm not sure what the cop version of that would be?"

"So, who was on the phone?" He asked her.

"It was a message from Aaron." She told him.

"Aaron?" He asked, feeling a lump starting to rise up in his throat.

"Yes, he called from the university. It appears he pulled an all-nighter there...as if that's a surprise." She said, rolling her eyes. "He was just calling to tell us that Hayley's probably going to be staying with us for the foreseeable..."

She looked around and saw the packet of cashew nuts scattered on the floor and the door flapping open.

"Trevor?" She asked, going to the door and looking around for him. "TREVOR?"

Trevor had already made it around to the side of the house, stumbling along, clutching at his head. He stumbled through some trash cans, falling to his knees as his eyes flashed green.

Back at the site of the battle, the Rangers were finding that Doomwave was just as powerful as any of the monsters they had faced. While he was obviously intending his machine to do the dirty work, it wasn't as though getting the controller off him was going to be easy.

The whole situation was complicated by the waves hitting the shore becoming larger and larger. Having to concentrate on Doomwave and avoid increasingly large waves was becoming a deadly game of tag.

Sarah was hit with a wave that was at least waist high, which took her legs out from under her and swept her up the shore. She got onto her Ninja-Comm.

"Hayley? How is that Zord coming?" She yelled. "We're doing what we can to get this guy's controller, but a plan B might be needed and a submarine sounds like it would be really handy right about now!"

"They're still working on it!" Hayley answered, looking over to Mick, Aaron and Monica. Between the three of them, the work seemed to be moving quickly, but with the Tsunami Machine winding up, it was clear that time was becoming a factor.

She couldn't help noticing that while the work progressed, there were some telling looks between Monica and Aaron. It was also amazing to see how they worked with an absolute minimum of discussion or conversation at all. While they were telling Mick what they wanted him to do and asking him for things, between them it was largely unspoken, like there was some kind of instinctual communication between them.

"Alright, everyone stand back." Monica told them as she completed a couple of connections. She tripped something which sparked, at which the headlamps lit up and the turbine started to turn. Monica, Mick and Aaron all yelped with excitement as they realised their work was complete. Monica and Aaron were about to embrace, before they seemed to think better of it and back away from each other.

"The drone's ready White Ranger." Aaron said with a cautious little cough. Hayley crossed over to them both and put a hand on Aaron's shoulder, and another on Monica's, looking between them both.

"Thank you...both of you." She said, adopting her forced, deep voice once more. "The Rangers and the world will forever be in your debt."

She pulled out the Purple Power Star and held it up. It started to glow, before flying across the room and attaching itself to the drone. She smiled as she saw it starting to glow, but the smile faded a little as it started to grow...and grow...and grow!

"Uh...didn't think that one through!" She rushed out as she grabbed it, thankful for the strength boost of the suit as she ran out. "Thanks again!"

"Go Go Power Rangers!" Aaron yelled out as he watched her run out, grinning brightly. Monica just looked to him and chuckled. "What?"

"Go Go Power Rangers?" She giggled. "You are such a massive dork!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who has practically every Hello Kitty accessory known to man." He teased her. Mick looked between them and started to silently step away as they just looked at each other. As he was backing out of the door, he bumped into someone. Reaching back, he found his hand touching something hard...like armour! He felt up and gulped, before turning around slowly and backing away in terror as he found himself face-to-face with Psycho Green.

"Uh...OK, who is that?" Monica asked cautiously.

"That...um..." Mick started to say, looking around. He found a can of oil and threw it into Psycho Green's face, blinding him. "That is someone we need to run away from REALLY FAST!"

"I can go with that!" Aaron agreed as the three of them all took to heel while Psycho Green tried to clear his visor enough to be able to pursue.

On the banks of the lake, the Rangers were becoming more and more vicious in their attacks while the waves continued to get larger. They were now managing to reach almost all the way to the parking lot, forcing them to take the battle to higher ground.

"Guys, I have the Zord!" Hayley yelled through the Ninja-Comm. "I'm on my way now!"

"Alright, great job Hayley!" Levi answered. "Brody, if that zord can take out the machine...?"

"Then there's no need to keep this guy afloat any longer!" Brody answered, clipping his Element Star into his Ninja Sword. "You ready for this?"

"You know it!" Levi agreed, switching his Storm Star to tornado mode. Both of them set their Power Stars spinning, before rushing straight for Doomwave. Levi started up a tornado beneath him, sweeping him into the air, spinning around him slashing him repeatedly as Brody joined him. With a double-hit, they sent him spinning far into the centre of the lake, before landing on the beach. Levi pulled out his cell phone and posed.

"What do you say Brody?" He asked him.

"Definitely the catch of the day!" He answered.

"CHEESEBURGERS!" They chorused as they posed for the selfie. Doomwave exploded in the background, sending up a water spout as Levi took the picture.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo cart wheeled onto the stage as the crowd cheered.

"What do you say folks? Do you want to see Doomwave brought up from Davey Jones' Locker?" He asked them. The roar was deafening. They were enthralled by the drama of it all. The Rangers still had to destroy the Tsunami Machine and Doomwave had already put up a huge fight. The result was inevitable, and having already sabotaged one vote, he knew he couldn't sabotage a second without raising suspicion.

"You asked for it folks, GIGANTIFY!" He called out, hitting the button and sending down the beam as the crowd cheered for more.


	16. Ever Seen a Ninja Surf?

As Doomwave grew, Dane was getting into the Command Position in the workshop. Although he and Brody had clashed over their roles in the leadership in battle, Mick was still at the university, which meant Dane was the only one available to take up the quarterback role.

He was just logging on the computers when Redbot came into the workshop.

"Mr Romero…"

"Not now Redbot, I'm kind of busy!" Dane told him.

"But Mr Romero…I think I've done something really bad." Redbot said guiltily. He didn't claim to be human or even close to it, but Redbot was so advanced he did have some basics of emotion, and right now his guilt was off the chart. He knew it was wrong to keep the diary from the others, but he was just enjoying the dramatic story so much he couldn't help himself. He had since come to the conclusion that the book being lost and ending up somewhere as bizarre as under the house was no accident, and given what he had learned already from it, he could understand why Dane might not want his sons to read it.

"Whatever it is it's really going to have to wait Redbot." Dane told him.

"But I don't think it can!" Redbot told him.

"Damn it Redbot, is what you did going to kill one of the Rangers within the next couple of minutes?" Dane demanded.

"Well, no but…"

"Then right now let's concentrate on what CAN!" He yelled at him. "Alright team, I'm in position. What's the play?"

Over at the university, Monica, Aaron and Mick were all running for their lives, trying to keep ahead of the deranged Psycho Green. The only saving grace was that the university was empty over the weekend, and so there were only the three of them there which limited the potential casualties. Of course, with only three of them there, it made them all the easier to find!

The corridors were winding and there were a few places to hide while they caught their breath, but the creature hunting them was relentless, and given the crashing sounds coming from behind them he clearly had no respect for other people's property either.

"This is hopeless…there's no way we're going to outrun this guy forever!" Aaron stated.

"No, we're not." Mick told him. "But I'm sure if we can hold on, someone will be along to help us soon."

"We should split up." Aaron stated. "At least if we do that, one or maybe two of us might make it."

"We're not doing that Aaron!" Monica told him bluntly.

"Monica, a whole TEAM of Rangers haven't been able to take this guy out for months, what chance do you think any of us has?" Aaron asked her.

"Guys…shh." Mick said as they pulled into a chemistry lab. They ducked down beneath the windows as they heard footsteps coming. They all held their breath as a shadow cast along the floor, indicating that he was right outside.

"He's…right…outside!" Mick whispered.

"Whatever you do…don't…move!" Aaron whispered. "Maybe he'll assume…"

Just then, they heard him try the door handle, before the door opened. Psycho Green opened the door and slowly made his way into the room. They all crept around behind some work benches to hide. Aaron and Mick pressed their backs against one of the benches in an attempt to hide.

"We have to find a way out of here." Mick whispered.

"But he's between us and the door." Aaron reminded him. "How are we going to do…wait…where's Monica?"

Psycho Green started to stalk around the lab, looking around and beneath the benches as he went, looking for signs of his prey. Over in the corner, Monica slipped past him, stopping by the chemical cabinet. She picked up a couple of bottles, checking the labels.

Psycho Green was coming ever closer to Mick and Aaron. They could hear him throwing stools aside as he got closer. Mick dared to peek out, seeing he was almost right on top of them when a glass bottle flew across the room, hitting him straight on the back of the head, smashing on his helmet, drenching him in liquid. He turned around to see Monica standing, holding a couple more bottles, throwing them at him. He stood and dismissively smashed them out of the air with his gauntlets as she threw them at him.

Psycho Green started to make his way towards Monica, who stood before him, trembling in terror as she watched him approach. He pulled his dagger out in anticipation of the kill. She gulped as she waited for him, hoping her plan was going to work.

"Hey, asshole, want to know what a crepe suzette feels like?" She asked him. She then turned on one of the gas taps on the desk next to her, and lit the gas. A huge get of flame launched out, hitting Psycho Green, who was now completely drenched in chemicals. He started to stumble and stagger about as he lit up like a Guy on bonfire night. Monica looked to Mick and Aaron.

"MOVE IT! NOW!" She yelled at them. They didn't need a second telling, they just got up and ran around Psycho Green, who was still struggling to get his bearings. As Monica ran out of the lab, joining the others, she smiled. "Who doesn't like en flambé?"

"Right now, I'd say Psycho Green." Mick told them. "So, I suggest we get moving before he figures out how to put those flames out!"

"You'll get no argument from me!" Aaron said, looking to Monica with a smile as they all sprinted away.

At the late, Doomwave grew to full-size in the middle of the lake, while the rest of the Rangers formed Megazords, however they were quickly noticing a very real problem. While they'd had a little fun at the expense of his appearance, which was very much along the lines of a rubber dinghy with a few fishing supplies randomly tossed at it, it seemed his physiology was no joke in the water. While it wasn't clear if he had an outboard of some description or if he could just paddle that fast, he zipped around the surface of the lake so quickly drawing a bead on him would have been difficult on the water. However, the Rangers were only just now realising they didn't actually have a Zord with an aquatic mode! It was an issue that had never really come up until now!

Levi was standing on the shore in his Bullrider Megazord, firing into the lake, trying to hit Doomwave. It wasn't going well! Doomwave was so fast he couldn't land a hit, but since the waves had now built up to the point that they were hitting the Megazords' knees, they were stuck on the shore acting as wave breakers to prevent them going too far inshore. Which meant they couldn't leave their position and were sitting targets! Something Doomwave was taking great advantage of!

"Does anyone else remember when I was making fun of this guy?" Levi complained as his zord flinched, being hit by more blasts. His control unit sparked. "Well now he's just pissing me off!"

"We're sitting ducks here!" Brody complained. "We can't move…"

"Wait, we have other Zords!" Sarah reminded them. "We can't go into the water but we can fly! I have the Astrozord and Preston has the Dragon zord!"

"We already switched into dragon formation, my flame blasts don't have the range!" Preston said as his latest flame blast fell way short of Doomwave as he swerved away from them.

"And we can't abandon the Megazord or we'll leave the waves unbroken!" Brody added.

"Guys, keep him distracted!" Hayley called through the Ninja-Comms. "I've got just the thing to help!"

"Where are you?" Calvin asked.

"ON THE RIGHT!" Hayley called out. They all looked to the side to see a purple zord, running up, carrying what looked an awful lot like a surfboard under its arm. "SURF'S UP! WHOOO!"

As she ran and leapt out into the lake, throwing the board down and landing on it, beginning to ride the waves, the others just stared at her. Brody pointed towards the new Zord.

"You guys all just saw that right?" He asked. They all nodded. "We have a Zord with a surfboard?"

"I…guess it's not the strangest thing that's ever been a Zord." Preston said with a shrug. "Didn't one guy have a lantern as a Zord?"

"Hayley's going after Doomwave." Levi reminded them. "Let's give Doomwave something to think about until she can loop back around!"

Back at the university, Moncia, Aaron and Mick were running out of places to hide. Psycho Green had managed to extinguish the flames and resume his hunt, only now he was clearly in a considerably worse mood. Now he was tearing off doors and smashing through walls in his attempt to find his elusive prey.

"OK, we've…we've got to keep moving." Mick told them as he struggled to regain his breath. He looked around at the room they were in, seeing nothing but tiled walls, stainless steel tables and a linoleum covered floor with a drain in it. There were also numerous steel hatches on the wall, and a large metal door at the other end. "OK, where are we?"

"Medical lab." Moncia told him in exhausted gasps. "Specifically,…oh, well isn't this appropriate, we're in the cadaver room."

"I suppose at least it'll save them having to transport us." Aaron joked weakly. "Sorry, sorry I know, it's not the time."

"Wait…the medical building is near the sports fields and from there it's only a short run to the parking lot." She told them.

"OK, well that's the escape route sorted out." Mick stated. "Now we just need to get past the big green psychopath."

"I…I think I have an idea about that too!" Monica told them, pulling off her jacket. "Do as I do!"

Psycho Green made his way down the corridor towards the medical building, finding his way to the morgue. He knew that they had come this way, and since he couldn't see another way back out, he was sure they had to be in here somewhere.

He walked into the lab, seeing the large steel door on the other side open ajar. He made his way over, opening it. Inside, he found his three prey all standing with their backs to him. Running in with a savage yell, he rammed his dagger straight through Aaron's back…but he was startled there was no scream. The body didn't fall. He looked up and saw that it was already hanging on a hook by the shirt…the other two were too! Turning the body around, he could see it wasn't Aaron…and this body had been dead for some time! He could feel the cold air and hear the compressor and realised where he was…he was in cold storage! He turned around in time to see Monica, Aaron and Mick pulling the door closed, slamming it shut. He ran at the door, slamming into it, but it was strong enough to hold, at least for some time.

Outside, Monica slipped a probe into the locking mechanism to hold the door closed.

"I don't think that'll hold for long." She stated. "But it should hold for a while."

"Alright, now we just need to get out of here." Mick answered. "And…hopefully avoid being arrested for running around in our underwear while we're at it."

"Come on!" Moncia told them, running for the door. "This way!"

"She really is incredible!" Mick said with a smile on his face.

"You don't know the half of it!" Aaron agreed, before Psycho Green slammed into the door again, causing it to buckle. They both decided that was a very good cue to leave as fast as they could!

Hayley's Zord hit a huge wave and was thrown high into the air. It flipped over backwards, firing torpedoes into Doomwave, before transforming into its submarine mode and diving deep beneath the waves.

"So…it's a submarine…and it's a surfer?" Calvin asked.

"Well, it was made from Aaron's drone so technically it was a submarine before it was a surfer…" Sarah mused.

"Which is why I called it the Sub Surfer Zord!" Hayley said through the Ninja-Comms.

"I can live with that!" Brody stated, just as Doomwave resumed his assault on the Zords on the shore. "Hayley, if that thing's got any more tricks, you might want to pull them out because we're stuck here taking fire!"

"Which is why I'm looking for the tsunami machine to destroy it." Hayley told them. Sarah suddenly thought about something.

"HAYLEY! Your dad's buoy!" She screamed into her Ninja-Comm.

"What?" Hayley asked.

"Your dad said it was a miracle the machine that damaged his drone didn't damage anything before now…what if that's because it was put here recently?" Sarah asked her. "What if that's the tsunami machine?"

"Dad's safety buoy has a GPS tracker on it to warn other boats!" She called out. "I've got it on scanner and…and the tide's intensifying around it! Sarah, you're a genius!"

"Oh, I know." She said with a little smile. "But that doesn't mean I don't like hearing it."

"I've got the torpedoes locked on and…" A moment later there was a huge underwater explosion that sent up a massive water spout. The waves from the lake quickly died down and returned to their normal size.

"MY MACHINE! You destroyed my tsunami machine!" He complained.

"Yeah, and now that means we can concentrate on sinking you for good!" Brody answered. "Hayley, bring it to the surface, we're going to see how this thing performs as a Megazord!"

"Alright, but I'm in Command Position!" Hayley insisted. "All of you got your own Megazord configurations, there's no WAY I'm letting you take this one from me!"

The Ninja Steel Megazord combined with the Sub Surfer Zord and leapt onto the board, carving its way through the lake towards Doomwave. Doomwave was throwing out explosives which they easily swerved to avoid. Hayley put the Sub Surfer Zord Star into her Ninja Sword.

"Sub Surfer Zord, final attack!" She called out as it transformed into the cannon. "Riptide Slash! Final ATTACK!"

Doomwave screamed as they zoomed past him, cutting through him with ease. The explosion heralding his end was long behind him as they skidded up onto the shore, kicking up the board.

"Show's Over, Ninjas WIN!" Hayley called out.

"Nice job Rangers. You really did…" Dane started to congratulate them, before an alarm sounded. "Rangers, there's an attack at the university! It's Psycho Green!"

"Psycho Green?" Hayley shrieked. "He must be going after dad and Monica!"

"Hayley, we'll get right over there and…" Calvin started to say, before realising that Hayley had already left the cockpit. "HAYLEY?"

"Yeah…I think we're going to be playing catch up!" Sarah told them, pointing to where the Kodiak Zord was already bounding off into the distance.

"Come on guys." Brody stated as they sent the Zords home, summoning up their Star Cycles. "It's about time we put Psycho Green out of OUR misery for good!"

Over at the university, Monica, Aaron and Mick had managed to get out of the building through the gym and were now out on the football field. Aaron looked around and pointed.

"That way!" He announced. "The parking lot is that way! We can use the van!"

They started to run across the football field, but before they got to the other side, the sky darkened and a bolt of green lightning hit the ground before them. Psycho Green appeared before them and started to advance on them.

Monica saw some sports equipment by the side of the field and ran for it, grabbing it and starting to throw it at him. Unfortunately, it looked like her ideas were running out. Although she managed some impressive throws, footballs seemed to do very little to even slow him down. Psycho Green got to her and grabbed her, throwing her aside, before kicking Mick down the field.

Aaron watched as the dagger appeared in his hand once more. He gulped, seeing Psycho Green coming towards him. However, by now he was done running. He stood before him and held his arms out.

"Do what you want to me." He insisted. "But let the others go!"

Psycho Green raised his dagger, preparing to strike, but as it came down, Monica rushed over, shoving Aaron out of the way. She screamed out as the knife sank into her shoulder, she fell to the ground, with Aaron standing over her, putting his arms around her protectively.

"You…you…you leave her alone!" Aaron demanded.

"You heard him!" Hayley yelled as she arrived, leaping from the Kodiak Zord. Psycho Green looked up in time to watch her power up into the Lion Fire Armour. Her sword burst into flames as she attacked him in a fury. She managed to score a telling hit on him, knocking him down and sending the dagger spinning from his hand. She turned towards Aaron and Monica as Mick finally recovered and came to help.

"White Ranger, we…"

"I've got this!" She told them. "Get her to the hospital!"

"We will Hay…uh…White Ranger!" Mick assured her.

Aaron picked up Monica and ran off with Mick, but by the time she turned back to Psycho Green, he was back on his feet and right on top of her. He swiped for her with his dagger in massive sweeping arcs, smashing her sword back and forth. As she struggled to keep her balance, he powered up the blade, and a huge blow shattered her helmet, sending her spinning to the ground.

Psycho Green started to advance on her as she crawled towards her fallen sword, only for it to be blasted away. He raised his blade, preparing for another attack when she turned over, staring straight up at him. He saw her face and paused.

"Hayley?" He asked. Hayley just stared at him in confusion as Psycho Green backed up a couple of paces. He knew her name? He recognised her? He raised his dagger and prepared to bring it down again, but stopped inexplicably. Hayley watched as he started to shake, like there was an invisible opponent trying to pull him away. He fell to his knees screaming out as he clutched at his head. The other Rangers arrived to see him rolling around on the ground, screaming out in anguish.

"What…what's going on?" Calvin asked.

"I don't know, but we might not get another shot like this!" Levi pointed out, putting his Storm Star into his weapon. The other Rangers put their Element Stars into their swords, while Hayley detached the Lion Fire Armour Star from her wrist and was about to clip it to her sword. She paused, frozen as something stopped her.

"Hayley, what are you doing?" Brody asked her.

"I…I…"

"Hayley, he's down! We can take him out!" Sarah recalled. Hayley looked between Psycho Green and the sword. Normally her heart and her mind were very clear on what they needed to do, but right now there was as much telling her that she needed to stop as there was telling her that she had an opportunity to destroy one of their most dangerous enemies.

"Hayley!" Calvin called to him.

"He…he knew my name!" Hayley told them.

Before they could question her further, Psycho Green let out one more tortured scream, before in a flash of lightning, he disappeared. The Rangers all stood down, shouldering their weapons.

"Well, I guess that makes that decision for us." Brody sighed.

"Hayley, did you say he knew your name?" Calvin asked her.

"Yeah, he did." She told them. "Guys…I don't know what's going on, but the way he reacted…it felt like…I think Psycho Green knows me!"


	17. Family Resolutions

In a flash of lightning, Trevor found himself dumped on an empty street. He tried to scramble to his feet, but his body was having trouble responding, like someone was literally pulling at him, fighting to control him. He stumbled around, crashing around in the alley, his head pounding as images flashed in his mind.

Psycho Green was no longer even trying to pretend it wanted anything more from him than a body to support it. He had flashes of its previous host, of an unfamiliar planet, of other Power Rangers…but it was always careful to ensure that while it was taking more from his mind than it allowed him to take from it. He recognised it as a very simple military principal he had learned long ago. Knowledge was power, and while it had taken him a long time to realise it, that had been Psycho Green's intent all along. It had preyed on his fears, his insecurities, his hatred…all of it. It had presented itself as an ally, but now was close to taking over completely.

He couldn't believe it when he saw the White Ranger's helmet shatter. He was only dimly aware of the battle up until then, most of the time Psycho Green was in control he didn't know anything at all. But when it was Hayley's face that was staring up at him from the ground, it shocked him back far enough that he could at least try to stop Psycho Green.

Hayley, his little girl, his step-daughter…he could hardly believe that she was a Power Ranger. The world knew very little of the Power Rangers, in the quarter of a century since they had first appeared on televisions in Angel Grove only four teams had ever had their identities revealed to the public…and only two of them had been unmasked voluntarily. The Space Rangers had no option but to morph publicly during Astronema's invasion and the Corsairs had been unmasked in battle with Admiral Malkor during the Warstar invasion. With the exception of the Lightspeed team who had been recruited by the Government and the Overdrive team who in exchange for pardons for all their actions were very open with how they were recruited no one really knew how Rangers were chosen.

The Space Rangers and the Megaforce/Corsair Rangers had all been kids when they were recruited. None of them were very open about how or why they were recruited, citing their respect for those Rangers who chose to remain anonymous. It made it difficult for him to imagine when or how she would have become involved with the Rangers, but it did mean one thing, he now understood why she had those injuries he saw before…which also meant he owed Calvin an apology.

He shook his head, trying to focus. That wasn't the important thing now. What was important now was that he now knew that Psycho Green had now on more than one occasion tried to kill his step-daughter. Even seeing her face, Psycho Green had tried to kill her. It was a miracle he had managed to wrest back enough control to abandon the battle.

"_How much can she care for you? She knows how you feel about the Rangers."_ Psycho Green whispered to him. Trevor stared into a puddle, into the reflection, which showed Psycho Green's face instead of his own. _"Think of all the destruction she and her team have wrought!"_

"You…you tried to kill Aaron!" Trevor stammered.

"_I did that for you! Because you wanted to keep your daughter happy."_ Psycho Green explained. _"A daughter he values so little he has barely any time for her. A daughter that repays you with deceit and lies…who spits in the face of your values and…"_

"NO!" Trevor called out.

"_She and those friends of hers, they scoff at your laws, at the fabric of your deepest beliefs…"_

"Her friends?" Trevor asked.

"_DON'T PLAY DUMB!" _Psycho Green yelled in his head, causing the pain to intensify. _"You can't tell me you can't figure out who her friends are! Who the other Rangers must be…who does she spend all her time with?"_

"They…they can't be!" Trevor rambled, trying to piece together what Psycho Green was saying. "That Tien kid goes to school in a freaking tuxedo for God's sake! You really think the little Tien kid…"

"_I had my own team! Two of them in fact! Do you think I don't recognise the signs?"_ Psycho Green told him. _"You know what must happen!"_

"I won't let you hurt her!" Trevor screamed.

"_You say that as though you have a choice!"_ Psycho Green taunted him.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Trevor screamed, slamming his fist into the puddle in a futile effort, as though somehow, he could destroy Psycho Green. Instead his knuckles just met wet, dirty concrete.

"Trevor?" Spike asked him. He looked up, seeing Spike standing a little way off.

"Skullovitch?" He asked. "What…what are you…?"

It was only then he realised where he was. He was in the alley running along the side of the police station.

"Are you alright?" Spike asked him.

"Um…yeah." Trevor lied. "I have my session with the counsellor…I was just getting some air…"

"Yeah, the doc was looking for you." Spike told him. "I was just looking for you and…why are you on the ground?"

"I'm fine." Trevor lied unconvincingly. "Best not keep the doc waiting."

"No…I guess not." Spike replied. It didn't take an expert interrogator to know that Trevor wasn't telling him everything, but if there was one thing Spike knew about Trevor after all this time it was that there was little point in trying to get him to talk until, he was ready to volunteer to talk himself. He just watched him head into the station, before heading back inside to carry on with his shift.

Over at the Romero Farm, the team had assembled for the customary debrief following the battle. It was a wild day, and everyone was pretty eager to finally get everything they needed to process out into the open.

They'd dealt with a deadly enemy and plot by destroying Doomwave, that was for sure, but that wasn't the main topic of conversation. The one thing everyone wanted to talk about was Psycho Green.

Mick was relaying everything that happened at the university in great detail. Hayley only knew about what happened up until they had finished the drone, but after that, they really needed someone who was there to tell them what happened. They all listened on in amazement as he recanted the whole incident. From Psycho Green first showing up, to the stalking through the school, everything. They all sat with their mouths hanging wide open.

"That…was…amazing!" Sarah gasped.

"Is your dad dating Monica or McGuyver?" Preston asked.

"I can't believe Monica really did all that." Hayley gulped, looking to Mick.

"I can't stress enough how amazing she was." Mick told her. "If I'd had some of my old rebellion weapons, I might have been able to help, but Monica was just…something else. She fought so hard, so desperately to get us out…"

"I can't believe she'd do anything like all of that." Hayley sighed.

"I can." Calvin said, causing them all to look at him. He looked to his girlfriend, holding her hand, lacing his fingers with her own. Hayley nodded in understanding of what he meant.

"The attack does confirm one thing. The target was indeed your dad." Dane answered. "If Psycho Green knows who you are…"

"No, that was the really weird thing." Hayley told them. "When he saw my face it was like, he was surprised. It was like he only just realised then who I was."

"So, you mean he decided to attack your dad not once, but twice, and he didn't even know he was connected to the Rangers?" Brody asked her. "Are you sure about that?"

"Brody, I'm the only one that understands what he's saying, it was unmistakable. He had no idea who I was until my helmet broke." Hayley told him. "Speaking of which…sorry about the repairs Redbot."

"Personally, I'd prefer it was your helmet than your skull." He quipped in response from the table where he was setting out the pieces, before sweeping them into a melting spoon and sticking the whole lot into the furnace, obviously deciding that simply re-forging it from scratch was simpler than even trying to repair it.

"I think that's a sentiment we all share." Calvin agreed with a smile.

"But it does leave us with a problem. Now he knows who Hayley is." Brody reminded them. "And from that, I think the safest approach would be to assume he'll figure out who the rest of us are."

"If he hasn't already." Levi chipped in. "Which means he can now attack us pretty much anywhere at any time."

"As if he wasn't enough of a problem." Preston muttered. "So, what do we do?"

"Well, we know that he recognised Hayley, which means it's someone that Hayley knows." Brody answered. "But until we figure out who, that still puts us in the position of waiting until he comes to us."

"And on that depressing note, we really need to be getting home." Preston stated. "Brody, you and I have those new students to puppy-walk around the school remember?"

"Shit, yeah, that's right." Brody answered. "Alright, I guess we'll see you all tomorrow."

"I guess so." Hayley stated. "Levi, could you take Sarah and Preston home?"

"Yeah, sure." He answered. "Why?"

"I need to make a little stop." Hayley replied, looking to Calvin. He just nodded.

"Your carriage awaits milady." He told her.

As they all left, Dane went over to where Redbot was melting down the pieces of Hayley's helmet. He had a look inside the furnace to check on it.

"Mr Romero…"

"We're in the middle of something Redbot." He reminded him.

"But Mr Romero, I've been trying to tell you something!" Redbot reminded him. Dane just took a deep breath.

"Yes, that's right." Dane recalled. "OK Redbot, what is it?"

"Mr Romero, I've…I've done something really bad." Redbot began to explain. "I was reading…"

"Redbot, you're always reading." Dane interrupted him.

"I know, but it's WHAT I was reading that's the problem!" Redbot said to him. "I found Mariko's diary."

Dane stopped what he was doing and turned slowly towards him.

"You…you found Mariko's diary?" He asked, a note of panic in his voice. Redbot just nodded.

"I thought it was a story book at first, but by the time I realised I was reading about real people I…I was…" Redbot tried to explain. "I was just enthralled! I know I shouldn't have but…"

"How much did you read?" Dane asked him. Redbot looked down at the floor, disappointed in himself.

"I…I know about Levi." Redbot told him. Dane was furious, but he knew that there was a more pressing matter. "I know I shouldn't have read it, but I promise you I'd never have told them…"

"Redbot, I'm not happy about it, but I'm glad you told me." He answered. "Now, I assume you understand why the boys can never find out."

"That's the problem." Redbot said regretfully. "Brody found me reading the diary."

"Brody?" Dane asked. "Redbot…where is the diary now?"

"Brody said he was going to give it back to Levi." Redbot told him. "I'm sorry…"

Dane didn't say anything, instead leaving the workshop. Redbot just shook his head in regret.

"Oh, suffering circuits." He said. "What have I done?"

Up on the Warrior Dome, they were having their own debrief. Odious assembled everyone in her chambers, with Draven on the big screen. She didn't really care too much about the show. She only cared in as much as whether or not she got her hands on the Nexus Prism and the Super Ninja Steel, and since she had neither, that meant the whole thing was a failure. The real reason for the meeting was so she could observe everyone and try to figure out which of them was undermining her efforts.

"So, Doomwave failed!" Draven said abruptly.

"Well, it depends what you mean by failure." Cosmo said as he pulled up his figures. "The ratings were spectacular! This battle had it all! Thrills, spills, surprises…the tsunami machine created surprising amounts of drama that the audience just seemed to eat up!"

"Not to mention with each test we throw the Rangers' way, we learn more and more about their strengths." Badonna added. "Which is why I've contacted…"

"Actually, I've already arranged our next talent." Wrench told them. "He was formerly a 'guest' on Sledge's ship, but I managed to track him down and broker a little deal with him."

"You snivelling, chrome-plated…"

"It's my turn you porcelain…"

"ENOUGH!" Odious yelled, before looking to Badonna. "You! How long will it take your people to get here?"

"About a week." Badonna answered.

"What about yours?" She asked Wrench.

"He's already here!" Wrench informed her.

"Fine, then we'll go with your plan." Odious stated.

"But Madame Odious…"

"I've made my decision!" Odious declared. "It isn't a matter of who's right or wrong, it's a matter of who's ready now!"

"Then I'll just go talk to my guy." Wrench declared smugly, glaring at Badonna. He looked like if he had a tongue, he'd be sticking it out given the childish glee in his tone.

"I've got some calls of my own to make." Cosmo declared. "Advertisers are just scrambling to get time slots these days!"

Draven didn't bother coming up with any excuses, he just turned off the transmission. Badonna looked to Madame Odious in alarm.

"Madame Odious, I don't trust Wrench…"

"Neither do I." She answered honestly. "But he's too much of a coward to do anything by himself. He needed to bring Sledge back to try and take me on before and he's terrified of him."

"But…"

"Who knows? He might just blunder into doing something useful for once. The law of averages says everyone does something right one in a while." She replied. "If not, then when your crew get here, we can get to see some real overkill!"

Over at Summer Cove Hospital, Monica started to come to, finding herself in a bed. Aaron was sitting by her side, holding her hand.

"Hey." He greeted her as she woke up. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel kind of like my arm was chopped off." She mumbled.

"No, not quite." Aaron told her. "They took you to surgery as soon as you got here. They said that it'll take some time and some therapy, but they believe you should get full use of your arm back."

"And you?" She asked him.

"Me?" He asked. "I'm fine thanks to you. You were incredible out there!"

"I really wasn't that…"

"Oh, you most definitely were!" Aaron said to her. "I wouldn't have lasted five minutes with that freak if it wasn't for you."

"I couldn't let him hurt you." She told him. "Even if…"

"Monica, you shouldn't upset yourself…"

They heard a knock at the door and looked to see Hayley standing there.

"Mind if I come in?" She asked them.

"Not at all sweetheart." Aaron said, gesturing her inside. Hayley came in slowly, coming to their side.

"I'm sorry, but the gift shop was closed or I'd have brought grapes." Hayley stated. "I heard I've got you to thank for my dad still being around."

"How did you…?"

"Mick's our shop teacher." She explained, causing them to both look to her curiously. "He's…a little excitable. He called us and told us all about how he got recruited by the Rangers to help rebuild the drone. He told me all about the attack at the university…and he told me you were pretty incredible out there."

"She really was." Aaron told her, clutching her hand tenderly.

"He also told me how even when you ran out of really inventive weapons and escape plans…you still put yourself in the way of that psychopath." Hayley said. "I owe you…both of you…well…I'm not even sure an apology even covers it."

"Hayley, it's alright." Monica stated.

"No, it's really not." She told them. "You and dad, you were both happy and I got in the way and I threw a tantrum because it made me feel a little uncomfortable."

"Hayley, you are the most important thing in the world to me." Aaron assured her. "I know I don't always show it but you are everything to me…"

"But you need to have a life yourself." She interrupted him. "I'll be honest, when I saw the two of you together, I really didn't get it. I just…I didn't understand and…well, I won't tell you exactly what I thought."

"Hayley, we understand…"

"I won't tell you because frankly what I thought doesn't really matter." She announced. "It took me a while, but hearing what you did for my dad, to keep him safe, there's no way that anyone can fake something like that."

She came closer to the bed, taking Monica's hand.

"I still can't claim to understand, but it doesn't matter. I know the two of you make each other happy, and I can see you clearly love each other." She told them. "Which is why I'd hate to think the two of you would split up over me."

"Honey, you are the most important thing in the world to me." Aaron reiterated. "If you're not happy…"

"I wouldn't be happy if you split up over me." Hayley told him, looking to Monica. "Especially not with someone as incredible as her."

"Thank you." Monica answered. "You don't know how much that means to me. If there's anything I can do…"

"Well, I do understand my dad's looking for somewhere to stay." Hayley reminded her.

"Ah, well…" Aaron started to stammer.

"Oh, come on, you're both adults, and you were just at sea, right?" She asked. "You basically lived together, then didn't you?"

"Yeah, along with about fifty or so other people!" Aaron reminded her.

"All I'm saying is, it does take care of a problem." Hayley told them. "And something tells me you two are ready."

Aaron looked to Monica and smiled.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked her.

"The apartment's not huge." She told him.

"Neither was my last one." He answered. "As long as you're sure."

"I'm sure." She replied with a nod, before extending the one arm that wasn't in a sling. "Now, come here you! Bring it in!"

Hayley came around and lowered herself over the bed. She was only too happy to oblige.


	18. A Night of Revelations

Levi got back to his apartment, carrying a large pizza with him, while cradling his phone between his ear and his shoulder. It was a little bit of a struggle, but given the events of the day, he really couldn't face cooking for himself when he got home. He'd already dropped Preston and Sarah at their homes, and was looking forward to having at least some time to relax before he needed to start worrying about preparations for another week teaching the next generation of potential musicians.

"I know…I know Tom, it's pretty crazy right?" Levi asked as his adoptive brother, Tom, quizzed him about the reports he was hearing from Summer Cove. Tom was currently in Atlanta taking in some meetings with some of Levi's backers. Taking time out to do battle with the forces of evil was a noble cause, but also not one that was terribly convenient for record executives who only saw an act who was on the rise and earning them money suddenly slowing his releases to a crawl. Tom was always very active in making sure that Levi's best interests were covered on the business side of things. Of course it didn't mean it didn't worry him hearing about his little brother's battles on the news. "First that Doomwave guy, then Psycho Green turns up at the university and goes after Hayley's dad!"

He kicked the door closed and headed for the sitting room, tossing his bag onto the couch. While he was hoping to have done a lot more fishing and would have preferred a nice big trout or something for his dinner, he had to make do with the seafood supreme from the pizza place on the corner. He put the box down on his coffee table and picked up the handset, turning on his TV, before flopping down on the couch and opening the box, pulling out a slice and beginning to eat.

"Yeah, Hayley's dad!" Levi told him. "That's the freakiest thing though, Hayley thinks whoever is Psycho Green might even know her! I swear, when I got involved in this Ranger thing I knew I'd see and hear some pretty freaky stuff, but I'm telling you, it's like all the stuff that happens out of the Spandex is the freakiest shit of all!"

He laughed as he heard Tom's response.

"You can say that again!" He chuckled. "Alright, you just enjoy Atlanta and when you get back into town, we can take the old man and Brody to a game or something. Alright, take care, love you too!"

He hung up the phone, tossing it aside as he started to concentrate his efforts on the pizza. He looked to the screen and noticed what was on. He shook his head.

"Nope, no more news tonight." He said as he flipped the channel. He let out a groan. "Sponge Bob? Hard pass! Frasier? Yeah, like I haven't seen every episode like fifty times! Maybe there's a movie or something?"

He pulled up the menu and found the movie channels, scrolling through.

"Crap, crap, crap…Batman V Superman? Jeez, that's worse than nothing!" He complained as he gave up and shut the television off. "Man, over a hundred channels and still Sunday night television is terrible."

He settled back into the couch as he took another big bite of his slice of pizza. It was then that he noticed out the corner of his eye that Mariko's diary had slipped out of his bag. Brody had given it to him earlier after Redbot found it. He knew that he still had work to do on his lesson plan for Monday, but seeing the diary he just shrugged and reached for it, opening it up.

"I'm sure a few minutes won't hurt." Levi mused as he started to read.

In Summer Cove Police Department, Agent Sterling was in her office looking over her case notes on her search for Psycho Green. She was still looking into his attack on the apartment block when news came in about his attack at the school. Unfortunately by the time they got there, they only found a lot of damage, but no one was actually there. Psycho Green had clearly disappeared, and no doubt the Rangers had not long afterwards.

It made things difficult for her that there were still a significant portion of the department that believed the Rangers were the source of many of the city's woes. Although there was now a hands-off policy with regards to the Rangers, those arguing against it always cited that their overwhelming responsibility was to the public trust and that they could not in good conscience be stopped from acting when they witnessed the Rangers in the act of committing an actual crime. They were sensible enough to stay out of Ranger battles, but since the many crimes they called out for the Rangers ran the gamut from destruction of property and public endangerment right down to the fact that their Zords didn't have licence plates and so they were technically operating vehicles illegally, there was sadly legitimate cause to say that they were almost always in the act of committing a crime. The upshot was that the Rangers now had very legitimate reason to vacate as soon as the battle was done which meant they couldn't ask them what had happened. Even though Grace knew who they were, having access to the Ranger Underground, it made communication in all but the direst circumstances very risky.

She had pored over the security footage of the attack, but only the cameras inside the building had recorded anything, with the cameras on the football field not capturing anything, the footage being mysteriously corrupted. It was obvious that was where the Rangers had battled Psycho Green, but without speaking to the team she couldn't ascertain what had actually happened. The department now knew that Aaron, Monica and Mick had been attacked, so they had sent out units to interview them, but she didn't have much confidence that they would turn up anything useful. Funnily enough, most of the Rangers were still anonymous despite numerous opportunities for unmasking for a good reason. When people survived an attack because of a Ranger, between relief, trauma and gratitude, they had a tendency to 'forget' a heck of a lot of details that could lead to an identification.

She had her work spread out, detailing all of the attacks Psycho Green had launched. For the most part, the only real connection she could see was that they all involved the Rangers. It was pretty obvious that was who he was targeting, but other than that very little seemed to link the attacks. They'd been all around the city, and on many occasions were only interrupted by chance.

The first attack had been interrupted by a SWAT unit, who took to targeting both sides. It was a foolish move that had led to a lot of officers being injured. It was a miracle none of them were killed. Psycho Green had more than enough power to do so, having caused untold devastation across more worlds than NASADA even knew existed, and through personal experience Grace knew he had at least three Rangers' deaths to his name.

At least, she had thought at one time there was no real pattern, but she was starting to see some connections that she really didn't want to think of. She'd butted heads with Jeremy a few times, mostly on ideological differences relating to the Rangers, but she fundamentally thought of him as a good man. He was capable of some questionable decisions and tactics when he thought he was doing the right thing, as the report from his fire-fight with the Ghost unit in Afghanistan showed. He'd been the sole survivor between his own unit and the mercenary unit, and the only reason he wasn't in a stockade for the remainder of his life was because of the potential embarrassment and indictment of a lot of influential people if news of the attacks on civilian targets ordered by a United States General ever came to light.

Tracker, now, was dead. Psycho Green had attacked at one of his rallies, killing his entire security crew and Tracker himself. It didn't seem to make any real sense. The Rangers weren't active at the time and there seemed to be little to no value in attacking Tracker, but she had to wonder if the reason was because they were thinking of the motivations purely in respect of Psycho Green's motives, not those of a potential host. She didn't claim to know how the powers worked; the Psycho Green she had fought was still the original host, one of the Super Sonic Rangers from Xyberia who had turned. The only thing she knew was that Psycho Green's powers needed a vessel to be active, but since he had been contained in the dagger that was stolen from her office and had never had another host until now, she couldn't claim to know how exactly the relationship between Psycho Green and his host would work.

The attack on the apartment building also made no sense on the surface. Again, there was no sign of the Rangers, he left the scene without the team even arriving, and he had only targeted that one building. She was, however, troubled by finding a SCPD issue nightstick at the scene. No officers lived in that street and no patrols went by that night, so there was no reason for any of the department to be there other than personal issues. She hoped she was wrong about what it might mean, and that perhaps an officer had simply lost it and not reported the loss. For most, it was simpler to simply buy another from the store room than it was to face the potential backlash of an investigation if they reported lost or stolen equipment, especially weapons.

Then there was the attack at the university, an attack at a time when only Aaron, Monica and Mick were there, three people that she already knew had a connection to the Rangers. Mick was their mentor, while Aaron was Hayley's dad. The targeting of a Rangers' loved ones was not exactly a fresh tactic, she'd seen it more than a few times in all her years, but that was because the monsters often knew who the Rangers were. She had no reason to suspect that Psycho Green had any idea who the Rangers were, so she was starting to wonder if the motive was down to his host and not Psycho Green, which just raised the question...why would anyone have any reason to try and kill a shop teacher, a post-grad student and a marine biologist?

She was arranging those three attacks together when her phone rang. She answered it.

"Sterling." She answered. "Wait, slow down...who's missing?"

She got up and started to pace the room, listening to the caller on the other end. She didn't even notice when a message came up on her computer.

Over at his apartment, Levi put the diary down, followed by throwing down the crust of his last piece of pizza. He'd ordered the large, but he normally didn't finish that in one sitting by himself, and was hoping to put some leftovers in the fridge to take to school for lunch, but as he read, his appetite overcame him. Now...now he needed something else!

He headed to his sideboard, grabbing a bottle of bourbon and tearing open the cap, before pouring himself a very large measure. He downed it pretty quickly before pouring a second. He didn't really know what he was feeling, there was so much going on in his head right now, between confusion, disgust, sadness and anger...so much anger! The more he read of Mariko's diary, the more he had to tell himself, remind himself that it was imperative to remember he was only reading one account of what happened. It was only her view, which for all he knew could be total fiction. He barely remembered Mariko, he was only a kid when he left the Wind Ninja Academy, and while he now had his memories back, even some of those were still cloudy and patchy at times so he wasn't sure how much he could rely on them.

He always remembered Mariko as a warm, genuine and caring woman. Even before he remembered why he knew Water Style techniques, he recalled vaguely a woman in Water Sensei armour speaking with him in a tender, caring fashion. Over time, he came to remember Mariko spending a lot of time with him and even teaching him. His dad had joked about his disappointment in this, since he hoped his boys would follow him into the Air Style, but Levi it seemed showed an aptitude for Water Style and Mariko had encouraged that. He remembered her being so closely connected to the family they even referred to her as "aunt". But if the diary was to be believed, then her connection to his father was so much deeper than he was sure he wanted to believe. It was clear she loved him, much more deeply than a friend should, it could be argued obsessively given some of her actions and decisions but it felt like even Mariko knew her feelings for his father weren't healthy.

He'd gotten to a part of the story that he knew would upset him dearly no matter what else he read, but given the implications of what she had said before, it was becoming agonising to go on. However, much like walking through a fire, he felt like he couldn't stop or he'd be consumed. He needed to keep going.

"I don't know if words have been invented that express how I feel. It was Emilia's funeral today, the day we buried a woman who has been nothing but the most wonderful friend anyone could wish for towards me since the day we met. The doctors always said her pregnancy was a miracle but we quickly learned that might not be the word for it. All through her pregnancy her health and her strength were taken from her. Her condition didn't just make it difficult for her to conceive, but dangerous for her to carry a child. Of course it was out of the question for her to choose her wellbeing over the child, and so she went ahead knowing full well that it was entirely possible neither of them would survive." Mariko wrote. "She showed the same strength that Dane has always loved about her throughout. She'd managed to bring their child into the world and even named him Brody, a name that she loved from some book she had read as a teenager that Dane didn't have the heart to deny her. Although no one wanted to say it, they all knew why. It was only a few weeks later her strength was finally exhausted, leaving Dane and the children without her."

"It breaks my heart to see Dane this way. They often talk about a man being broken but I've never seen him like this. Emilia was his life. Everything he'd done was for her. The Academy was always there of course, and very understanding about his loss, giving him all the time he needed but as time goes by, all I see is him sinking further and further into an abyss I'm not sure even I can help him out of." She continued, the writing shaky as though she was barely able to restrain her own tears as she wrote. "He had the boys to consider, of course, possibly the only thing that kept him going, but the man I love has never seemed further away than now. I swung by his place to check on the family, as I have done each night since Emilia died, and while I find the boys sleeping peacefully, Dane is nowhere to be found. It's not like him. The boys are in no danger in The Academy, there's always going to be someone here for them if they need it, but Dane hasn't left them since Emilia died."

"I found him in the forest beyond the waterfall. He's alone, he's crying, and he's drinking...a lot by the looks of the bottle of sake in his hand. I doubt Kanoi is going to care about losing the bottle under the circumstances, even if it is a 300 year old bottle, but Dane never drinks, certainly not like this. I approached him and sat with him."

"He tells me he doesn't know how much longer he can do this. I can see how broken he is, honestly if it wasn't for the boys I have little doubt he'd probably have already joined Emilia in the hereafter. I don't try to take the bottle from him, but I do offer to share it. He's already gone through half of it, at least this way he won't finish it single-handed."

"I remind him how many people are there for him at The Academy. I try to remind him of all he has to live for, all he has to be strong for. I tell him that he will always be loved here. That was when he reached for me and kissed me. I knew it was wrong as soon as it began, that it was something that we would both regret, but the selfish part of me that has always been in love with him over-rides the part of me that knows what he needs."

"By the time it's over, the look of disgust and regret is already evident in his face. I feel it in my heart too. I should never have allowed it to happen. Now I can only think that I have lost him forever."

Grace finished up her call, cursing loudly.

"What is it about Rangers and drama?" She grumbled. "I managed to make it almost fifty years without..."

She stopped as she noticed a new e-mail alert on her computer. It was a message from the forensics lab entitled "night stick." She opened the e-mail finding a file attached from the forensics lab. It was a full rundown on the nightstick they found at the apartment block.

She read through the report, skimming through quickly. Most of it was no real surprise; it was a standard piece of equipment. Thanks to her home country's laws regarding the carrying of weapons, it wasn't as though there weren't ones like it available to pretty much anyone, but she was fortunate enough that it was marked as belonging to the Summer Cove Police Department.

That, of course, only narrowed it down as belonging to someone on the force. There were probably hundreds of them in circulation at any time. It was standard issue equipment for everyone in the department. That was even before she considered the fact it wasn't exactly impossible that there were those that had been replaced after being lost or stolen. The department took a dim view of people losing any department equipment, especially weapons and so it wasn't unknown for people to simply pay for replacements without reporting the loss.

She got to an interesting part on the report, fingerprints were found, and her luck was in, there was only one set! She had to scroll through to find the results of the search.

"Trevor Marx." She read, thinking about it. She pulled up the schedule and found that Trevor wasn't on duty that night. He had no business being at the building at all, least of all while armed. Or did he?

She pulled out a photograph from the scene and saw that it was found with debris from a door…it was trapped under the door handle. It was possible it was just coincidence it had ended up there, but to a suspicious person it could have looked like it was wedged there…like someone was trying to wedge the door closed. She didn't believe in just assuming things were coincidence. She checked the number on the door against the registered occupants, and now she definitely didn't believe in coincidence.

"Aaron Foster!" She stated, before looking to her file, trying to piece together everything she had. The dagger was stolen from her office in the police department. Psycho Green had killed Tracker and had attacked Aaron, both people with ties to Trevor. Now, she had found direct evidence which placed Trevor at the scene of one of the attacks.

She left her office, heading out to where Ellie and Spike were talking by her desk.

"Do any of you know where I can find Trevor Marx?" She asked them.

"He had an appointment with the therapist." Spike informed her.

"Is everything alright?" Ellie asked.

"I really hope so." She answered. "Do you know if he made another appointment?"

"Uh...yeah, here." Ellie replied. "Tomorrow morning 09:00 AM. Why, is something wrong?"

Sterling didn't answer, instead heading back to her office without a word. Spike looked to Ellie and shrugged.

"So, you ready to head home?" Spike asked her.

"Sure thing." She replied. "Thanks again for the lift."

"No worries, I needed to pick Vicky up from the train station anyway." He told her.

"Oh, that's right, your girlfriend's visiting!" Ellie recalled as she gathered her things and accompanied Spike towards the parking lot. "I get to finally meet the dream girl I've been hearing so much about!"


	19. The Cursed Diary

**A/N: **Well, it turns out I'm a little late, but I've got an extra special surprise for my long-term readers here. Don't ask me how I figured this out, it's the kind of thing I do when I'm bored (REALLY bored) but I found out some time ago I was approaching having written 6,000,000 words in Power Rangers fanfiction! Hard to believe but it's true. I've been trying to keep track so that I could mark the occasion as a special thank you to my long-term readers, and while it turns out I've missed the mark…I figured I'd go ahead and do it anyway.

It'll be quite a while before I begin on Beast Morphers, but I've put together a little concept piece that will be the A/N at the end of the chapter. Thank you to all my regular readers and I hope you continue to enjoy my work!

The following morning, the students filed into Summer Cove High School with the usual level of enthusiasm one would expect for students on a Monday morning. Even Victor didn't have much of a spring in his step, despite the fact he was carrying another trophy.

"Well, I for one say those judges were completely full of it." Monty stated as he tried to appease his friend. "That fish you caught was huge! It had to be Bruiser!"

"Well not according to them, which is why I only have THIS stupid thing!" He complained, holding up a gold cup that was easily equal to anything else he had in the trophy case, but still wasn't the prize for catching the elusive Bruiser. It never occurred to Victor that there was really no way to tell one fish from another and that the contest was basically fixed so that they could continue to run it every year, but to him all he cared about was he only won the prize for the biggest fish caught, not the main prize for bagging the legendary Bruiser.

"Well, it's still your fifty first trophy." Monty reminded him.

"FIFTY SECOND!" Victor corrected him petulantly. "You forgot that award the Mayor gave us for taking down Galvanax."

"Well, whatever, let's just find the principal and get it put in the trophy cabinet." Monty answered. "Look there she is..."

Victor grabbed him by the arm as he saw Principal Hastings by the desk. He could hardly believe what he was seeing.

"Do you see that Monty?" He asked. Monty just shrugged.

"It looks like a couple of new students." Monty replied. "So what?"

"That is the girl I was telling you about...the girl from the lake!" Victor told him. Monty just looked over to the group. There were two girls with Hastings, signing some forms and discussing something with her.

"Which one?" Monty asked him. Victor handed Monty the trophy, using its reflection to style his hair and straighten out his letterman jacket, before taking a deep breath and psyching himself up. He took the trophy from him. He strode over, reaching between them and plopping the trophy down on the desk. He looked to Principal Hastings and struck a pose.

"I'm sure you already read the paper and know, but I brought this school yet another trophy!" Victor said with a little swagger in his tone.

"Yes, I did. Well done Victor." She told him. "Now, I'm in the middle of something so..."

"Why, what's this? Two new students to our fine school?" Victor asked, acting like he hadn't actually noticed the fact Principal Hastings was in the middle of something. His performance was about as convincing as the average kindergarten play. He faced the two girls, smiling and striking a pose. "Victor Vincent! Former student body President, winner of fifty two trophies, and star athlete! Welcome to Summer Cove High!"

The two girls just stood, blinking at him as though they just didn't know what to make of him.

"Victor, this is Emma and Sandy." Principal Hastings introduced them. "Now, if you'll excuse us..."

"Say no more! I'd be happy to take these fine young ladies under my guidance." Victor declared, moving beside Sandy. She looked up to him, her face one of confusion. "I know how intimidating a new school can be. Just stick with me and I'll show you around."

"Well, that's very school-spirited of you Victor, but I've already arranged mentors for them both." Principal Hastings informed him.

"Really?" He asked. "Well, where are they?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Principal Hastings answered, looking around. She waved a hand in front of them. "Come on, they should be around here somewhere!"

As they left, Victor threw up his hands.

"Do you hear that Monty? She wants someone else to show them around!" Victor said aghast. "Who would be better than me?"

"Well...the last time you were showing someone around you ended up in a dumpster." Monty reminded him.

"Whose side are you on?" He demanded, before striding away. Monty just shrugged and followed him.

In Levi's apartment, the Gold Ranger just sat, staring at the diary sitting on the coffee table. He hadn't been to bed…in fact, he hadn't even noticed as night transformed into day. He only realised he had spent the whole night reading and trying to comprehend what he had learned when his alarm clock had gone off a little time ago.

He took a deep breath, checking his watch and picked up his phone, dialling.

"Principal Hastings." He began. "It's Levi. Look, I'm sorry to do this but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take a personal day."

He wasn't exactly surprised that she wasn't happy. It wasn't as though he was giving her a lot of time to arrange someone to cover his classes today, but he knew he was in no state to face the kids today. He didn't even know what he was going to say to Brody, what he COULD say to Brody. If the revelations in the diary were true, then he didn't know what he would say or do when he saw Dane again. It frustrated him greatly whenever he learned about his own life. Although he had regained his memories, there were still gaps, areas that were fuzzy and some of the details he still had a little trouble remembering what happened when and whether what he was remembering was about him or Brody. To think that much of what he already knew could be a complete lie was more than he could take.

"I know, I'm sorry…I'll make it up to you." He assured her. "I just…I'm not well, I can't come in today. Yeah, I'll keep you posted. Thanks for understanding."

As he hung up, he threw the phone aside carelessly, before staring at the diary once more. It couldn't be real, could it? But how could he know for sure? He looked to his watch again, then picked up the phone, dialling the reception desk.

"Hey, it's Levi, up on the penthouse here. Listen, is Jerry on today?" He asked. "Good, can you tell him I need him to do me a favour?"

In the canteen, Brody, Hayley, Calvin and Sarah arrived, looking for Preston. He was meant to meet them at the door, but when he wasn't there they assumed he had already gone in for breakfast. Sure enough, he was there along with what seemed like half of the student body...but no one was eating. There wasn't one kid waiting in line for the canteen, instead they all sat silently at the tables, the only sound coming from the room a bunch of clicks and electronic bleeps.

"Whoa, what...what's going on?" Calvin asked. "Normally you can't get anywhere near the counter on pancake day."

"Are you complaining?" Hayley asked him.

"Nope!" Calvin answered. "Just taking advantage!"

With that, he ran to the counter to take his pick of the goods on display. The others just looked around the room silently.

"So, what's everyone doing?" Brody asked.

"I'd say it looks like some kind of video game's just dropped." Sarah said, seeing the handsets everyone was holding. It wasn't any of the devices she recognised. It didn't even appear to be telephone or tablets. In fact, it looked like it was dedicated game handsets for a specific game. At one time, before Nintendo introduced the Gameboy with its interchangeable cartridges, hand held video games existed, though they only had one game and were very crude LCD affairs sold in toy shops. It was a format that had largely become defunct now that handheld games consoles were a thing long before the mobile phone and tablet game market exploded, but Sarah could remember her dad showing her a TMNT game he had owned when he was a kid. "I don't remember anything being mentioned in the magazines or the websites."

"Whatever it is, it looks like it's already pretty popular." Hayley commented, looking around. "Hey, there's Preston, he seems to be playing one!"

"Well, he better get his butt in gear. We were meant to meet Principal Hastings ten minutes ago!" Brody responded as they made their way through the cafeteria. They got close to him, with Preston not even noticing when they were almost right behind him, Brody tried to raise his attention.

"There you are." He greeted him. The Blue Ranger didn't even look up from his game or give any indication he had noticed them at all. Not so much as a grunt to indicate he had heard them. Sarah reached around, waving her fingers in his face to try and get his attention.

"Hey there Presto!" She greeted him. He made some kind of annoyed grunt and shrugged her away. He continued to play for a little bit, at which there was a kind of fanfare from the game unit. Preston smiled and punched the air.

"Yes! I got a spider!" He yelled excitedly, before finally noticing they were there. "Hey guys!"

"What you got there Presto?" Hayley asked.

"Yeah, what's more important than pancake day?" Sarah asked him. Preston showed them the game he was playing. It really did seem pretty basic, a platform game along the lines of one of the early Mario games, with a very simple side-scrolling format heading from the left to right side of the screen. It was cheerfully coloured, with a very cartoonish design.

"Game Goblin. It's the latest craze!" Preston explained. "Look, you control this cookie little guy as he tries to take over the castle. You eat all these little critters that try and stop you and collect coins and that gets you points!"

"Aw, he's so cute!" Hayley commented. "But, isn't this a little…basic? I mean, I'm no gamer but aren't most of the games consoles now a lot more refined?"

"Well, yeah, but the gameplay is great! It's so much fun! It's like all the classics like Mario or Wonderboy…Oh, shoot that one nearly got me!" Preston said as he continued to play. "I'm already on level 5!"

"Is…that good?" Brody asked. Preston thought about it for a moment.

"You know…I don't know, I have no idea how many levels there are. It only just dropped so none of the gamer sites have guides out yet." Preston stated. "Oh…maybe I should write one!"

"It does seem basic, but…there is kind of a resurgence in the old-school games lately." Sarah replied with a shrug. "So, you gain points and that fills the power bar?"

"That's right!" He told her.

"So, what happens when it's full?" Hayley asked as Calvin returned, looking delighted with the massive stack of pancakes he'd managed to get since no one else was in the queue.

"Why don't you guys find out for yourselves?" Preston asked as he pulled a whole stack of game units out of his bag. "I got one for each of you. Wait…where's Levi?"

"Probably getting ready for his first class." Hayley told him. "Um…Preston, you know that we don't need you to do stuff like this. In fact,…it makes some people a little uncomfortable flashing the cash around."

Hayley did have a point. While he wasn't ASHAMED of his family name or fortune, Preston didn't make a habit of throwing money around, buying gifts or anything like that. It was unfortunately something he was pointedly aware of that some people made a lot of assumptions about him as soon as they realised who his dad was. He just shrugged.

"I didn't. The guy was just giving them away. I just told him I wanted six and he just gave them to me." Preston responded.

"He was giving them away?" Calvin mumbled through a mouthful of pancakes. "That's…that's a really strange business plan. How do they make any money?"

"Preston, aren't you forgetting something?" Brody asked him. "We were meant to meet Principal Hastings!"

"That was today?" Preston asked. "Oh, well…I'll just finish this up real quick and…"

"Too late!" Brody said as he saw a rather unamused looking Principal Hastings coming towards them with a couple of girls, presumably the students that she wanted them to guide through their first few days at school. Preston hurriedly stashed his game away.

"Oh shoot!" He exclaimed as the Rangers scrambled to put the games away, hoping to cover for Preston's lapse in judgement. By the time she got to the table, all the incriminating evidence was gone. "Principal Hastings! Good morning! We were just coming to see…"

"Yes, Calvin's stack of pancakes looks like you were JUST on your way." She muttered sarcastically. Although he had already polished of almost half the stack he had bought, the half that was left was still sitting almost four inches high on his plate. He just shrugged.

"It's pancake day!" He mumbled through a mouthful. The others just face-palmed. "What?"

"Well, now that I've found you, I've saved you a trip." She declared. "This is Emma and Sandy. Emma, Sandy, this is Preston, Calvin, Hayley, Sarah and Brody…"

"BRODY! HI!" One of them squealed, rushing over and throwing her arms around him, staggering him. Brody and all the others looked more than a little stunned by this level of enthusiasm.

"Um…Hi…nice to meet you too!" Brody said uneasily as they parted. Emma just looked around, seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, but when she saw Sandy's she backed right off.

"Well, the quiet one here is Sandy, and you've already become acquainted with Emma." She said, introducing them both in turn. "They've just transferred to us from Reefside."

"Our dad got a job transfer out here." Emma explained. The team just looked around each other hearing this detail.

"Your dad?" Hayley asked, shifting a little in her seat. It was a little difficult to try and find a delicate way to approach the fact they really didn't look at all similar. Emma looked to be of Asian descent while Sandy was pretty clearly Caucasian. "You're…?"

"Sisters." Emma said with a nod, gesturing between them both wildly. "Well, foster-sisters. We're in a group home."

"Really? That's so cool!" Sarah exclaimed. "Well, not…but it is…but…um…you know what I mean."

"Trust me, no one knows what to say." Emma answered. "We don't mind, we're both in a good home with a family we love. It's all good!"

"Well, that's good then!" Sarah responded.

"Alright, Brody, you're going to be showing Emma around." Principal Hastings told him. "She actually asked for you specifically…"

"You did?" Brody asked, looking to her.

"Yeah! When I heard I was coming here I started checking out the social media profiles of all the kids here!" She blurted out. "I found your profile and found you like a lot of the stuff I do…like Martial Arts…I mean I've never DONE any Martial Arts, mom and dad never had the money to send me, but I always loved all those old movies and I…I'm…starting to sound really stalkerish and…I'm just going to shut up now."

"Preston, you'll be showing Sandy around." Principal Hastings said, somewhat trying to brush aside the slightly embarrassing way Emma was behaving. "She's got a real interest in science; I know that's one of your stronger subjects. Oh, but um…Preston, there's something you should know…"

Just then the bell rang. They all started to gather their belongings together.

"Alright, it's music first period!" Brody stated. "Sandy, are you coming?"

Emma patted her arm and gestured to her to follow them.

"Come on, we're going to music!" Emma told her. Sandy just smiled and nodded.

"I love music!" She told them. Preston came over next to her as they walked.

"Alright, it's just this way." He said, showing her the way.

Meanwhile, over at Levi's apartment building, Dane was scaling the outside of the building. Knowing that the diary was in the apartment thanks to Redbot, he was desperate to find a way to retrieve it and finally destroy it for good. He could only pray that after the hectic weekend the team had that he wouldn't have had a chance to read it yet. While he wasn't sure how much Mariko would have said, not even knowing when he knew her that she even kept a diary, he knew that if they knew about what happened, it would likely tear them apart.

Dane had kept a lot of secrets in his life. In the life of a ninja it came with the territory, but this was one of the biggest. He knew that Levi was due to be at the school by now, and he had waited until he saw Levi's truck leaving the parking lot before he began his ascent.

The building was secure, full of guards and cameras, and while Dane had more than enough skills to circumvent them, he had decided to go for this approach. Very few buildings had cameras monitoring the outside, and not many people looked up when they were walking around on the street. Dane was accomplished at covert entry and was sure he'd be in and out of the building before anyone noticed.

He got to the top level, hauling himself over the railing and onto the balcony, before heading along towards the doors. He started checking for alarms, knowing that in a building like this, one with so many high-income residents, there would likely be a very comprehensive security system. Once he found the connection, breaking the connectors with a piece of foil, he started to get to work picking the lock, before opening the door. He didn't hear an alarm but he figured it was still best to move quickly in case the alarm was silent. He went inside and couldn't believe his luck when the diary was sitting on the coffee table. It was almost too good to be true. As he crossed the room, picking it up, he started to look around. It would only arouse suspicion if someone went to all the effort of breaking in only to steal a book, he had to make it look like a robbery, which meant taking a few other things and messing the place up like it was searched. As he was about to start, a thought echoed in his mind. The book was sitting in the open. It seemed too good to be true. His heart sank as the bathroom door opened and Levi stepped out. His face was stony and filled with anger. Dane put the diary down slowly.

"Levi…"

"I paid Jerry on the desk twenty bucks to take the truck to be valeted." Levi informed him. "I was really hoping I was wrong."

"Levi, please, you have to understand, that diary…"

"The fact that you came here confirms one thing." Levi stated, his voice barely wavering. "It confirms what she said is true."

"Levi, please, let me explain…"

"Explain what?" Levi snapped at him. "That you've lied to me my whole life?"

"Levi, I know you're upset…"

"UPSET?" Levi yelled at him. "Upset doesn't begin to describe it!"

"Levi, I…I know what I did was wrong." Dane told him. "Your mom…Emilia…she was heartbroken when we believed we couldn't have the family we dreamed of. When Mariko offered to do what she did, I…I can't say I didn't know about how she felt about me. I know I used her; it is one of the worst things I've ever done…"

"Oh, you wish that was the worst thing you've done!" Levi said, taking the diary and opening it, thrusting it into Dane's hands. "Read it."

"Levi, I…"

"READ IT!" Levi demanded. Dane gulped and started reading.

"This will be the last entry I write in this diary. It's been a while now since Dane took the boys and left The Academy. Many were surprised, but of course I wasn't. I am disgusted with myself; I hate myself for what I did to him. He told me he already didn't feel like he could stay at The Academy. He told me how everything reminded him of Emilia and he wasn't sure he could bear to stay but everyone he knew and loved was here. There was support in The Academy, a community that would help. Of course, after that night, I managed to take that from him. There were days at a time he couldn't even look at me. We certainly never talked. I've managed to take the one thing from him that he needed at the lowest point of his life. I will always hate myself for that."

"After he left, people were upset, but they all believed he left because of Emilia. They didn't know it was because of me. I no longer have a home here. I don't know if I have a home anywhere, but one thing is clear. Especially now, I cannot stay. I'm giving this diary to Tori, a promising student, for safe keeping. I don't need reminders of the lives I've managed to destroy. Tomorrow I will leave The Academy forever, and I already have one reminder that will be with me for the remainder of my life. I only hope I do a better job with this child than I did with our first."

Dane dropped the diary, shaking as he backed away from it. He looked up to Levi, tears running down his face.

"Levi, I…I had no idea." Dane told him. Levi just went to the door, opening the door.

"I should make you go out the way you came, but since it'll get you out of here quicker you can use the elevator." Levi said coldly.

"Levi…"

"GO!" Levi demanded. Dane realised that nothing he could say or do would change Levi's mind now. He left the apartment, defeated, as Levi slammed the door. He went to the elevator and called it. He thought that he could save Levi from the shameful secret of his birth, but he never for a moment dreamed that he would be the one finding out a secret it seemed Mariko had taken with her.

Somewhere out there…there was another child.

**A/N: **Well, here it is as promised! A little sneak-peak into how I envision Beast Morphers. Thank you to all my long-term readers. Hope you enjoy it!

Zoey wiped sweat from her brow and flicked back her matted hair as she grabbed her opponent, pulling once again with all her strength. She staggered a little as she finally dislodged the last load of laundry and pulled it onto the floor.

"Damn it Jimmy how many times do I have to tell you not to overload the machines?" She yelled. She always had to yell. Down in the laundry was so noisy as a result of all the machines running that the only way anyone could hear anything was to shout at the top of their lungs. The heat was intense because of the dryers and the air was thick with chemicals. The industrial-strength cleaners created fumes that took a long time to get used to. They were only just this side of needing protective equipment to use, and it was just one more thing that made the laundry one of the worst places on the base to work. Zoey was used to it by now, but it still wasn't uncommon for people to get light-headed and more than a few people passed out until they started to become accustomed to the heat and the thick air.

Zoey hated the job with a passion, but there was little in the way of a choice. While her family wasn't exactly poor and she never wanted for clean clothes or decent food growing up, they were no more able to afford to send her to college than they were to buy her a mansion on Mars! She had big dreams and ambitions, but life taught her early on that if she wanted them, she would have to work for them. She'd worked part-time since she was fourteen and was working full-time since sixteen. It took a whole extra year to graduate High School as a result, but in the end, she'd done it.

She'd applied for literally every grant and scholarship in existence, but even with how hard she worked, her grades were just slightly shy of what they were looking for and it was pretty hard to have an impressive list of extra-curricular activities when you had to find a way to fit forty hours of work a week in and around a full school schedule. She'd eventually looked to signing up to the military as a way to have her college diploma funded, but a strange thing she'd never heard of called Grid Battleforce was recommended to her. She didn't even know what the hell the 'Ranger Initiative' was at first, but when she heard word of a Special Forces unit equipped with high-tech weaponry light-years beyond the current generation, her goal was set. She would be a Ranger!

Even with them paying the tuition, there really wasn't much of a budget for anything else. Commander Shaw had told her about the job in the laundry when Zoey explained her situation. It was a job that was still on the base, so there would be no commuting to and from her job and the academy, but that was really where the 'charity' ended. Other students saw her going in and out of the laundry and were only too keen to make fun of the fact she was the one that made sure their training gear and their uniforms were clean and pressed. She wanted to knock Blaze's picture-perfect teeth down his throat when he poured grape juice all over his uniform on purpose just to mock her for the fact, she would then have to clean up his mess…of course she knew if she did that, she would just have to find a way to get his blood out of the uniform too!

She pulled the bundle off the floor and onto a table where she started to sort it into different piles. The whole place had a system, one that she created to try and make things just a little more efficient. Just because she hated the job didn't mean she wasn't going to do it well. She always believed in giving everything she did her all. She looked up as she heard some banging and crashing. She rolled her eyes as she saw Betty struggling with some clothing. Abandoning her station, she went to help her.

Betty was tiny, easily the smallest person on the base. Zoey liked her, she was a lovely, bubbly person and always keen to help everyone on the base, but she was way too small to be trying to carry the bundle she was struggling with. Zoey abandoned her work and came over, grabbing the bundle and helping Betty to struggle with it, shoving it into the machine. She slammed the door shut and started the cleaning cycle.

"Thanks." Betty wheezed, looking ready to pass out already. Zoey helped her to a seating position.

"Betty, what are you doing here?" Zoey asked her. "I thought you were in the garage today!"

"You asked me to cover you in the laundry when it was time for the Level Four Procedure test." Betty reminded her. Zoey shook her head.

"Betty, my test isn't until four." Zoey answered.

"Zoey, it's ten to four!" Betty informed her. Zoey just glared at her.

"Don't joke like that." Zoey warned her. "It's only three fifteen…"

Zoey looked to her watch, but after staring at it for a moment, she noticed that the second hand wasn't moving. She tapped it a few times, but to no avail. She grabbed Betty's wrist and stared at her watch, seeing the true time.

"Oh shit…no, no, no, no! This can't be happening!" Zoey rushed out, beginning to panic. "Um…I need to shower and…no, wait, there's no time! I need to get to the tenth floor now! Betty…thanks!"

Zoey didn't even take her jacket, there was no time for a shower, there was no time for pretty much anything! She sprinted as fast as she could down the hall. Fortunately, someone was already getting in the elevator. Zoey slid into it, composing herself as much as she could. She could see the way that the others were staring at her. It didn't surprise her, she had to look like a nightmare! A shift in the laundry was like taking a workout in a furnace, but on top of that she was going to have to run almost the full length of the base in only a few minutes. The door opened and she ran down the hall, weaving in between people going about their business, throwing out a few apologies on her way.

She got to the final straight and saw the lecture theatre. The door was open and Commander Shaw was standing at the front! She had time…but not much! She ran as fast as she could. She saw Commander Shaw pointing to the door, and put her head down, running for all she was worth. Unfortunately, by the time she got there, her forehead met only glass as the door was literally closed in her face. She bounced back, landing flat on her back. She was barely able to raise her head and could swear she saw Blaze smirking at her through the door as he went to take his seat.

She got up, and went to the door, knocking on it frantically. Commander Shaw came to the door, opening it, but she wouldn't let Zoey past. She instead came outside, closing the door behind her.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry I'm late, I didn't…"

"Zoey…"

"I know I'm late, but it's only a couple of minutes!" Zoey begged her, her eyes flashing in desperation. "My watch stopped and I came as soon as I could and…"

"Zoey, I'm sorry but I'm afraid this is the last straw." She stated. Zoey's heart sank into her stomach.

"No, no, no please, you have to give me another…"

"Zoey, this isn't the first time." Commander Shaw told her. "In the last six months you've been late for class six times…"

"Please…"

"You've fallen asleep in class three times; you've turned up out of uniform twice…your test scores are barely above average…"

"Please, give me another chance! I promise I'll do better!" Zoey begged her, clasping her hands and doing her best to pull her best puppy-face.

"Zoey, I like you, really I do, and I see real potential in you, that's why I've given you as much leeway as I can." She told her. "Normally I run a three-strikes system, but I looked the other way because I knew your situation. But I'm afraid this is the last straw. I'm sorry Zoey, but we're only looking for three candidates. Cuts have to be made and it wouldn't be fair to cut a student who's making the grade."

"Please, please I'll do anything!" Zoey said, struggling to keep her tears from running. Commander Shaw put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry Zoey, but my decision is final." She answered. "Enrolment for new programs is only a few months away. Maybe you'll find something then."

Zoey just nodded in understanding. It was just like the conversation she'd had with her High School principal when he held her back a year. Until now that had been the most humiliating experience of her life, but she could tell when the fight was over. Commander Shaw headed back into the class, shutting the door behind her. Zoey backed against the wall and slid down it, sitting on the floor. She brought her hand up to her forehead, where a huge bump was starting to form after literally having the door slammed in her face. She let out a sigh of defeat.

"Fuck." Was all she could manage to say.


	20. Green, Mean And On The Scene

In Summer Cove Police Department, Trevor was sitting outside the department counsellor's office, waiting anxiously for his second appointment. He'd never been one of those guys that thought such things were a waste of time, many of the friends he'd had in Afghanistan, the ones who came home anyway, had benefitted greatly by getting counselling. A lot of them had seen horrible things, others had come back with life-changing injuries and having gone through life-changing trauma and found it difficult to cope coming back to their civilian lives. He'd done numerous fun-runs and other fund raisers for charities dedicated solely to the purpose of ensuring those that needed such services got them. In some ways, he felt that some people might feel it was irony at best or hypocrisy at the worst that he had never sought such help himself, but there were two compounding factors. The first was that for him, he felt like he would be taking time and resources away from someone who "really needed it" if he went to counselling. He had his panic attacks and he had his night terrors but what were they compared to people who found it next to impossible to even leave their homes? Or who came home having to learn how to rebuild their lives after losing limbs? A few even had to re-learn basic skills like walking, writing or even feeding themselves and so a part of him felt like he could learn to just accept that even adults had bad dreams at times.

Another factor was he still wasn't sure what good it would do? Because of the nature of his trauma, because of the incident that had caused these issues for him being classified not only officially, but also with very direct threats since he had been told in no uncertain terms that there would be terrible consequences if he ever divulged what happened to his unit. The incident involving the Ghost unit implicated some influential and powerful people in very serious crimes that could see them hauled before The Hague. The disappearance of a former Military Police Officer would likely not raise too many concerns in the media. He didn't claim to be an expert on counselling or psychology but he did know that talking about trauma was kind of an important part of the process. There were very real reasons he couldn't discuss his. Some of them because he couldn't bring himself to re-live that day, others far more practical, such as the fear of being ripped from his family and spending the rest of his life in a black-site prison that no one knew about never to see the light of day again. Of course, if it meant Psycho Green was no longer a threat, he was starting to wonder if that might not be an option.

The door opened and the therapist appeared in the doorway.

"Come on in Trevor." Dr Westbrook greeted him. "I'm ready for you."

Trevor made his way inside, taking a seat on the couch at the doctor's behest.

"Would you like some coffee? Tea? Water?" Dr Westbrook asked him. Trevor just shook his head. "It might be an idea. I've cleared my books for today. I got the impression from our session yesterday it might take you a while to feel comfortable to speak about things, so I've cleared my schedule. You've got me until noon, so feel free to take all the time you need."

"I guess in that case…some water might be an idea." Trevor responded. Dr Westbrook smiled.

"Still or sparkling?" He asked him as he went to grab a glass and put some ice into it. Trevor just pointed.

"Still." Trevor told him. "I don't like the acidic taste of sparkling."

"I have to say I'm not overly fond of it myself." Dr Westbrook answered, pouring Trevor a glass, before putting the bottle and the glass down on the table. He started his recorder and picked up a notebook. "Alright, now, what do you want to talk about?"

"_This man is a joke."_ Psycho Green whispered to him.

"You know, people's personal daemons take many forms." Dr Westbrook told him. "I've worked in this profession a long time. I've seen and dealt with everything from people who obsessively clean to people who have actually eaten others. You don't need to worry about me, I doubt there's anything you could tell me that I haven't already heard."

"_Daemons? HA!" _Psycho Green scoffed. _"He thinks he knows daemons? How about we show him what a daemon really looks like?"_

"I…really don't know if you have." Trevor answered. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Well, normally I'd suggest at the beginning but I have a feeling that you're a little hesitant to go there yet." Dr Westbrook answered. "How about we talk about the incident that brought you here today?"

"_Yes, go ahead!"_ Psycho Green taunted him. Trevor gripped his hand, digging his nails into the flesh, hoping that the pain would bring his mind back to him and keep him in control. _"Tell him how you gave form to one of the deadliest foes the Rangers…"_

"I see in the notes you listed on your request for these sessions something about an incident pertaining to a domestic violence call." Dr Westbrook told him. "Why don't we start there?"

Trevor took a deep breath and eased up his grip on his hand a little.

"Alright, that sounds like a good place to start." Trevor agreed.

In Summer Cove High, the team filed into the music class for first period. They took their seats, stowing their bags underneath. As they sat down, Emma started bouncing with excitement, grabbing Sandy's hand. Sandy turned to look at her.

"I can't believe our first class here is with Levi Weston!" She told her. "I know you've been looking forward to this!"

"I just love Levi Weston!" Sandy declared, kicking off her shoes and shoving them underneath her chair, placing her feet flat on the floor. Just then, Mrs Finch walked into the room.

"Mrs Finch?" Sarah asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Class, I'm afraid Mr Weston has called in sick today." She told them.

"He's sick?" Sandy asked, looking disappointed. Mrs Finch nodded.

"I'm afraid so." She confirmed. "And since we haven't had time to arrange a substitute and what I know about music could be written on a postage stamp with room to spare, I'm afraid today's lesson is going to be more theoretical than anything else. I have some sheet music here that Lev…um…Mr Weston was going to go over with you, so I'll just write it up on the board here and you can all copy it down."

They all groaned. Those were the worst kind of music lessons. The real fun in Levi's class was that he would guide them through performing and have them learn by osmosis in the process. Sandy brought her shoes back out and slipped her feet back into them as everyone got their notebooks out and flipped out the desk attachments on their desks.

"I know, I know I'm not as much fun as Mr Weston." She said as she turned back to the board. "Alright, let's see…Here we go."

As she started writing down the music, Brody started to note down the tune that Mrs Finch was writing on the board when he heard a strange beeping sound. He looked around, trying to figure out what it was, but all he saw was a wall of notebooks. He looked to his right where Emma just smiled at him, giving him a little wave as she carried on taking notes. Looking to his left, Sandy seemed to be doing the same, but it was when he looked beyond her, he saw that Preston had pulled out his Game Goblin and started playing it. He furrowed his brows. He had never really seen the appeal of video games, mainly because he'd never actually owned any, but he knew others did like them. Calvin had been trying to get him to play something called Ninja Gaiden for some time. Preston knew better than to goof off in class, so he was a little surprised to see that.

"Hey, check that out Sarah." He said as he looked back. "Sarah?"

Looking back, he could see Sarah's head dipped down beneath the notebook. He craned his neck over the top to see that she too was playing the game. He saw Calvin a little way off, fist-pumping, something of an odd action. Unless he was seriously over-excited about a succession of semi-quavers it looked like he was playing too! It quickly became clear the whole class was playing.

Brody just shrugged his shoulders. He hadn't taken one of the Game Goblins earlier, but if the game really was that good, maybe he would give it a try a little later. As he went back to writing down the music, he didn't notice as a buzz-cam fluttered into the corner of the room.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Cosmo was on the stage, presenting his latest show. The audience saw almost all the kids in the classroom were playing the game.

"Well, the buzz-cams don't lie folks. Those teenagers are totally hooked on Game Goblin!" He declared proudly. Game Goblin appeared on the screen, cackling as he turned to the fourth wall.

"And that will be their doom!" Game Goblin declared in a sinister tone that was completely betrayed his cute appearance. "If enough teenagers play the game and fill my power bar, I will eventually have the power to suck them all into my game world and destroy them! Just watch!"

Game Goblin's face changed into a horrifying, twisted, daemonic visage with pointed fangs.

"I can get REALLY nasty!" He declared. "Once the Rangers are in here, no strategy guide will be able to save them!"

"Ooh, you're nasty already Game Goblin!" Cosmo complimented him. "We LOVE it!"

Meanwhile, off-stage, Badonna and Odious were watching the show unfold. Badonna looked to Madame Odious.

"This Game Goblin is a promising contender." She stated. "It seems he already has power over these teenagers."

"Teenagers are completely obsessed with video games." Madame Odious sneered. "Personally, I like my games where the gore is real and the suffering is palpable!"

"If he sucks the Rangers into his game world, he could defeat them! Then the Ninja Nexus Prism and the Super Ninja Steel would be completely unguarded!" Badonna told her.

"Yes, but Psycho Green has interfered in our plans a few too many times." Madame Odious stated. "Even if he isn't fighting with the Rangers, he seems to enjoy destroying our monsters just as readily as he enjoys attacking them!"

"Then perhaps Game Goblin can take out all our problems in one fell swoop." Badonna suggested. "If he shows up, we just need to lure him into the game too!"

At the precinct, Agent Sterling was on the phone, pacing as she listened to the other end. She was grinding a pair of stress balls in her free hand as she listened to the other end.

"So that's now HOW many missing?" She asked. Her eyebrows just shot up. "How long has this been going on? The first one disappeared…HOW LONG AGO?"

She groaned and slammed the stress balls down, making the internal bells jingle loudly. Stress balls were an old method of giving people something else to concentrate on to relieve stress. It was either two or three metal balls that were designed to be rotated and twirled in the hand, ground together as a concentration exercise to relieve stress. They had bells inside that were intended to only jingle if they were ground incorrectly. If they moved smoothly as intended, the bells wouldn't ring. Needless to say, slamming them into a table wasn't exactly "correct use".

"You're trying to tell me that this has been going on so long and I'm only just hearing about it WHY?" She demanded. She clearly wasn't happy with the response. "You know what? Your incompetence is simply staggering! Send everything you have on this to me directly and shut down your investigation!"

There was a knock at the door, and Ellie came in. She gestured him in, at which he came in, closing the door behind him. Ellie didn't claim to know Grace beyond her reputation. Senators, Congressmen and Generals were all intimidated enough by her to sit up and listen when she spoke. He saw she was still on the phone and started looing at items arranged on her shelves to pass his time.

"No, I'm deadly serious!" She stated bluntly. She breathed in exasperation as she heard the answer. "It doesn't matter who I'm giving this case to, as far as you're concerned you can just forget this ever happened because if I see you or any of your team investigating this further, I'll personally see to it that the closest any of you ever get to working in law enforcement again is chasing up overdue library books!"

She hung up her phone, putting it back on the cradle, before looking to Ellie.

"Something I can help you with Mrs Thompson?" She asked.

"You asked us to let you know if Trevor came in." Ellie reminded her.

"Alright, can you send him in…"

"The thing is, he's already in the counsellor's office." She told her. Sterling's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline.

"What?" She asked.

"I just went past Dr Westrbook's door and the in-session sign was up." Ellie told her. "I had a look at the schedule, Trevor's the only one on the books."

"Damn it." She responded. She opened a drawer, pulling out a large watch, which she strapped onto her wrist. Ellie was more interested, and nervous by the fact that Sterling then pulled out a large blaster pistol, sliding it into a holster on the back of her belt, before shaking her jacket to bring it over the blaster to conceal it.

"Ellie, is there an armed response unit in the building?" Sterling asked her.

"You want to know if there's a SWAT unit here?" She shrieked. "What do you expect to happen?"

"Hopefully nothing." She answered honestly. "Stay in here and don't come out until I tell you otherwise!"

"But…"

"That's an order!" Sterling stated flatly, heading out of the office. She made her way along towards the counsellor's office, making careful note of who was in the building. She hoped she was wrong, she hoped her paranoid nature was for once leading her down the wrong path, but if it turned out she was right, she needed to know who was in the building. She didn't doubt the bravery of any of the officers, but if things went south, she also knew that there was likely very little in the precinct that would even slow down Psycho Green. If push came to shove, the last thing she wanted is bullets to start flying and for people to be shot by their own side in a blind panic. She got to the door and opened it, finding Dr Westbrook talking to Trevor.

"It's natural what you felt Trevor. That girl was around the same age as your daughter. When you saw her being hurt, you didn't see her, you saw Hayley." Dr Westbrook explained. "Anyone would understand how that would feel and…Agent Sterling?"

"Dr Westbrook, I need to talk…"

"I must protest! I'm clearly in the middle of a session!" Dr Westbrook interrupted her. "The sanctity of my office is sacred…"

"Dr Westbrook, I am not above physically removing you from this office if I need to!" She snapped. "Don't make me embarrass you in front of the precinct!"

Dr Westbrook shut off his recorder and picked it up, and gathered his notes. Doctor/patient privilege meant that Sterling needed to get a warrant to access those records, and he was going to make sure she did. He stood before her, clenching his jaw.

"I'm filing a formal complaint with the Captain about this!" He told her.

"Fine!" She responded, pointing to the door. Dr Westbrook left, at which she locked the door behind him. She looked to Trevor.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked her.

"I'm hoping it's the other way around Trevor." She replied. Trevor just looked confused.

"Trevor?" He asked. "What happened to Marx?"

"Trevor, I need you to listen to me very, very carefully." She told him in a low, considered tone. She took a deep breath. "Trevor, I know."

"You know what?" She asked her. "I don't think what happened is exactly a secret…"

"Trevor, I need you to listen to me. I know." She reiterated. "And I know we're not alone. I think you know what I mean by that."

"_Of course, she knows." _Psycho Green whispered. _"We go way back!"_

"Agent Sterling, I really don't think you…"

"Trevor, don't insult my intelligence, it's pretty clear what's happening. It's what he does." She responded. "Tracker, Aaron…the victims of the attacks all link back to you."

"Agent Sterling…"

"Call me Grace." She told him. "Trevor, I don't claim I've always handled this delicately. I know we've butted heads, but I need you to trust me…"

"_Trust her?"_ Psycho Green asked. _"All she cares about is stopping me. She doesn't care what happens to you in the course of that."_

"He's talking to you, now isn't he?" Grace asked. "Trevor, you can't trust him! Even among the Psycho Rangers he was considered a dangerous lunatic…"

"_I've been in her nightmares for over seventy years! Do you really think she cares what happens to you if she rids herself of me?"_ Psycho Green asked.

"Agent…Grace, please you don't understand, you need to stop!" Trevor warned her.

"Trevor, I'll do everything I can for you, I promise." She told him. "Psycho Green has been controlling you, manipulating you, I know that. I can tell people that, they'll listen to me!"

"It's like you said, all the victims connect back to me!" Trevor answered her. "What reason does Psycho Green have to go after Tracker? Or Aaron?"

"Trevor, that's all part of the plan. He wants you to feel like you don't have a way out, but if you trust me, I can offer you one!" Grace told him. "You know how you felt about Tracker. You know that if you could have, you'd have done anything to ensure he never harmed anyone ever again. He was in your nightmares for almost a decade. Psycho Green's been in mine for over seventy years!"

"_Exactly! She only wants to see me destroyed."_ Psycho Green stated. _"If you don't believe me, ask her if she's armed."_

"Are…are you armed?" Trevor asked her.

"I'm a Federal Agent, of course I'm armed." She told him. "Trevor, you can't listen to him, you need to trust me. I can help you."

"By destroying me?" Trevor asked her. "By locking me up to keep Psycho Green under wraps?"

"Trevor, I promise you, I'll do whatever I can to separate you, but you need to trust me and come with me." She told him.

"That all does sound good. There's only one problem." He told her, a sick grin crossing his face as his eyes started glowing green. "Trevor's not in control anymore!"

He got up from his chair and started to advance on her.

"Hello Grace." He greeted her. "What do you say we pick up where we left off on the moon?"

Outside the office, Captain Raymond and Dr Westbrook were coming back towards the office. Dr Westbrook was still ranting.

"It is COMPLETELY unacceptable! My patients can only feel safe and secure if the sanctity of my office is…"

"I've assured you I'll deal with it!" He yelled. Just then, there was a huge crash and Grace came flying through the door. There were bright flashes coming from Grace as she hit the furniture, bouncing along the way. She had barely managed to activate the personal shield in her watch before Psycho Green attacked. Trevor came striding out of the office.

"MARX!" Captain Raymond barked. "What is the meaning of…"

He was cut off as Trevor hit him, knocking him dozens of feet away. Dr Westrbook just watched, completely terrified. The other officers in the room started to encircle Trevor, going for their guns.

"Now, this looks like…fun!" He said, beginning to laugh in a sinister manner as his armour started to segment and form up around him.


	21. Game Goblin Strikes

Lunch time at Summer Cove High was usually a much more chaotic time than now. It was still noisy, but instead of laughter, conversations, yelling, raucous high-jinks as students blew off steam over their lunch, the only thing that could be heard throughout the entire school was a lot of bleeps and bloops.

Victor would normally be much happier about the fact he got served so quickly. Normally the queue for the canteen would have been almost out the door by now, but today he was able to walk straight up to the counter. He checked over his order, furrowing his brows. Victor was a slightly above-average student, easily a B+ average much to everyone's shock, but more than anything he was a star athlete. He was on more than a few teams and had a full-on training and diet plan arranged to maximise his performance and bring trophies to the school. As the dinner lady slapped a bowl on his place and carelessly ladled stew onto it...of which about maybe seventy percent made it into the bowl and the rest splattering onto the tray since she wasn't even looking, he had a feeling she wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention. The other clue was the Game Goblin unit in her other hand.

"Uh...I think you got this wrong." He stated. "My nutritionist specifically said..."

"That's the order, take it or leave it." The woman behind the counter said without looking up from the screen. Victor wanted to protest, but he somehow doubted it would do any good since the other three canteen workers were also playing the game. One of them didn't even seem to notice the soup was starting to boil over the edge of the pot. Shaking his head, he made his way back towards his table as Clint, the security guard, stopped by him.

"Clint, are there rules against playing games in school?" He asked.

"Only if they're gambling games since we don't have a gaming licence." Clint told him with a beaming smile. Victor just looked to him a little curiously.

"What are you so happy about?" He asked.

"Are you kidding? This is a dream come true! Look at it!" Clint said, panning his hand across the room. "No one running in the halls, no one littering, no one swearing, no one fighting...I wish this game had dropped ages ago! I'm having the easiest shift of my life!"

"Aren't you worried about...?"

"Hey, I usually go through about three of these a week." Clint told him, holding up his citation pad. "I signed this one out today and I haven't had to write a single one! If this keeps up I might just have the perfect school!"

"Yeah, perfect." He sighed.

"You're not a fan of games I take it?" Clint asked. Victor just scoffed.

"Are you kidding? I have a life!" Victor answered as he went back to his table. There, Monty was busy on a Game Goblin of his own.

"Not you too!" Victor moaned. Monty didn't answer though. Feeling rather lonely despite being in a room full of people, Victor brought out his phone and started some browsing.

"Three minute abs? Seen it! Ultimate Quads Blast? PFFT! I could do that in my sleep!" He said, scrolling through some videos. He suddenly hit a news pop-up, which caught his attention. It was an image of the Summer Cove Police Department building, which appeared to be almost completely consumed in flames.

"Our main story again, the Summer Cove Police Department has been the latest victim of a vicious attack by the unrelenting Psycho Green Ranger." The reporter stated. "What has shocked the city though is that the attack has been revealed to be an act of one of their own! Noted officer Trevor Marx is revealed in this exclusive footage to be the true identity of the Psycho Green Ranger!"

"WHAT?" Trevor screamed, unable to believe it. He looked around, but his outburst, which was enough to be heard throughout the entire school didn't register as so much as a blip on the radar for his fellow students. The only response he heard was when someone squealed in delight and said something about hitting level 7.

Victor had met Trevor a few times in his life. Trevor and his father had been friends in Afghanistan, and after Victor's father died, he had made a point of looking out for his family as his friend had asked. Most recently, Trevor had pulled in a lot of favours to get personally involved in the case when Victor was found in possession of human growth hormone and faced expulsion. Trevor had done virtually everything he could to help prove Victor's innocence. Victor couldn't bring himself to believe Trevor was capable of such things, even when he saw the footage of him transforming.

"The attack has miraculously resulted in no fatalities, but with dozens of officers in critical condition, it is unknown how long this may remain the case." The reporter continued. "The department has issued a city-wide APB for Officer Marx, and has advised the public not to try and confront him and to consider him armed and extremely dangerous!"

"Monty, have you seen this?" Victor asked. Monty just grunted. Losing his patience, Victor grabbed the Game Goblin and ripped it from his hands.

"HEY!" Monty protested.

"MONTY! Look at this!" Victor said, showing him the phone. Monty saw it, but he didn't believe it. It was down to Trevor that Victor was still enrolled at the school. He stared at him.

"He's Psycho Green?" Monty asked. "But...but...he's..."

"I know, but that's why they need to hear about it!" Victor told him, looking around. "Where are they?"

"I think they train at lunch times." Monty stated. "In the yard out behind the shop class."

"Right, come on!" Victor said. He noticed Monty wasn't moving. "Monty?"

"Well...it doesn't really take TWO of us to deliver a message does it?" Monty asked, reaching out for his Game Goblin. "So if you could just..."

"Oh for the love of...COME ON!" Victor snapped, walking off.

"Victor, at least let me get to level 5." Monty pleaded as he followed him. "Victor...VICTOR!"

Meanwhile, in the shop class, the Rangers had changed into their training uniforms and Brody was just writing down some ideas on a dry-wipe board for them.

"Alright, so today I was thinking we could go through some balance drills and..." He turned around to find Calvin, Hayley and Sarah all playing their Game Goblins. Mick just shook his head.

"Come on guys, seriously?" Brody asked.

"Those guys are into that too?" Mick asked him.

"Obsessed with it would be a more accurate description." Brody said as Hayley let out a squeal of delight, punching the air in celebration. "You've been having problems too?"

"Are you kidding? I've already confiscated four today." Mick told him. "Kids are playing with them in class. I had to save one kid who was about to end up with a few fingers short of a full ten because he wasn't paying attention to the saw he was using. He just complained I stopped him getting a power-up!"

"That game's getting out of hand." Brody muttered. "I mean, I know people have a right to play games but it's like it's taking over everything. I wish Preston had never given us those stupid things."

"Um...Brody? Where is Preston?" Mick asked. It was only then that Brody looked around and realised the Blue Ranger was nowhere to be seen.

"This is ridiculous." Brody said, going over to Sarah and snatching the Game Goblin from her.

"HEY!" She screamed. "Give that back! I was about to get to level..."

"I don't care!" Brody snapped. "Neither will Odious! Come on guys, we have to train!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Calvin said, waving him off. "Just right after I get this..."

"Guys, seriously, we need to train!" Brody told them. "What would happen if Odious was to attack us right...?"

He tailed off as he noticed the Game Goblin starting to glow.

"...now?" He asked. The rest of the team noticed their Game Goblins were also glowing. Victor and Monty burst in just as they were staring at the game units.

"GUYS!" He called out. "You will not believe..."

Just then, there was a blinding flash, and the Rangers all disappeared before their very eyes. The Game Goblins fell to the ground where they had been standing. Monty took his back from Victor and threw it as far away as he could.

"Either they're getting REALLY good at that whole ninja-vanish thing, or that's not meant to happen!" Victor stated. Mick picked up one of the Game Goblins and looked into it, seeing some very familiar looking new characters.

"They've...they've been sucked into the game!" Mick stammered. He spun around to Victor and Monty. "We need to find the others. You two go and see if you can find Preston. I'll try and call Levi."

"Sure, whatever it takes." Victor told him with a nod. With that, they both ran out of the room. Mick got onto the phone, dialling Levi. "Come on Levi, pick up!"

Up on the Warrior Dome, a huge cheer went up from the audience as they watched the Rangers getting sucked into the games. Cosmo twirled his cane as he strode up to the edge of the stage.

"Well, what do you think about THAT folks?" He asked, turning his attention to the screen. "Game Goblin, what can we expect from you?"

"All those kids playing have given me enough energy to suck all of the Rangers into my game world!" He declared. "All except for the Blue Ranger! He's playing so well he's giving me more than enough power to destroy all of his friends! By the time he realises they're gone, I'll have destroyed them all!"

Trevor, still being controlled by Psycho Green, arrived at the school. After levelling the Police Department, something he did more out of fun than anything else, he had reasoned it was best to hit the Rangers before they had a chance to come after him. While it had been fun to watch the pitiful efforts of the police to try and stop him, he was under little doubt that the news would have spread, which meant in the not too distant future the Rangers would probably know about Trevor. That meant he didn't have long left where he could press the advantage.

In his last battle he had revealed Hayley's identity. Knowing that, he was certain that if he assumed the others were her friends, those same ones that she always hung around with at school and went everywhere else with, he was probably on the right track. He had dim memories of his own previous life back on Xyberia, where he had a similar group of friends until he turned on them. It was a pattern that seemed to repeat with the Rangers. It made them remarkably predictable.

He went through the doors, coming in where Clint was doing his patrols of the corridors. Clint was watching the news, and saw Trevor's face on the screen. He could hardly believe it when he saw him walking in the door.

"Hi! How can I help you officer?" Clint asked him nervously. Trevor just stared straight at him.

"I'm looking for my step-daughter." He told him. "If you'll excuse me..."

"Sir...I'm afraid I have to sign you in." Clint said. Trevor just turned on his heel, coming towards him.

"What?" He asked.

"I...need you to sign the visitor log." Clint told him.

"You don't think you can make an exception for a fellow officer of the law?" Trevor asked him. Clint gulped.

"I'm...I'm afraid not." He told him, scrambling around for the register while he tried to think of ways he could stall for time or alert some help. "Um...I just need you to sign..."

Trevor grabbed him by the shirt, lifting him off the ground with one hand as his eyes started glowing green. He gave him a sinister grin.

"Are you sure you need that signature?" He asked. Clint started shaking his head. "Good choice!"

Trevor threw him into a plaster wall, tossing him straight through it with ease. Clint lay motionless on the other side. Trevor just turned and headed through the school, looking around for any signs of where the Rangers were. When he saw a sign for the shop class, he smiled, turning to follow the corridor.

Sarah, Calvin, Brody and Hayley all appeared, tumbling to the ground, completely unaware of what had happened to them. As they got up, dusting themselves off, they all started looking around.

"OK, that was weird." Calvin stated. "Where are we?"

"I don't know. I don't recognise this part of the city." Sarah replied. "Wherever it is, it seems to be deserted."

"That's really weird. When is the city ever deserted?" Hayley asked. "I mean, I know it's a weekday and everything but usually there are some people moving about wouldn't you think?"

"Guys, I'm not so sure we are in the city." Brody told them.

"What makes you say that?" Calvin asked him.

"Oh, a couple of little things." He told them. "Like that."

He pointed into the distance where there was a castle sitting on the horizon. A moment later a spider the size of a go-kart scurried past.

"And that." He stated. Hayley noticed something and gestured the team to follow her. When they got to the end of the street, there was a large, golden coin about the size of a manhole cover just hanging, spinning in the air. She reached out to touch it, at which it disappeared, and they heard a bleep, followed by the number 100 in bright red figures blinking in the air for a moment before disappearing.

"Does this all seem familiar to anyone else?" Hayley asked. Sarah and Calvin nodded, but Brody didn't he just shrugged.

"So, where are we?" He asked.

"I'm not sure I want to say it." Hayley told him. "It sounds a little silly when I say it in my head..."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that!" Calvin said, pointing behind her. She turned around, at which she saw a cute, green little creature scurrying into view. It was only about waist-high, and had a rather adorable little grin on its face.

"GAME GOBLIN?" Sarah, Calvin and Hayley all chorused.

"So, we're in the game?" Brody asked. "So what do we do?"

"Isn't it obvious? Clearly we're meant to win the game!" Hayley told them, heading over to Game Goblin. "Isn't that right little guy?"

"Hayley, what are you doing?" Brody asked.

"He's the hero of this game right?" She asked. "If anyone knows where the end is, he will!"

"Hayley, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to trust..."

"Oh come on Brody, this adorable little guy..."

"I'd listen to your friend if I was you!" A deep, guttural growl said. Hayley turned around in time to watch Game Goblin growing to almost seven feet in height, and his face turning into a horrible, bestial snarl. She started to back away quickly.

"Uh...OK, that's considerably less cute!" She stated. Game Goblin started laughing as some numbers appeared around him. They all watched as an energy bar appeared next to him and started to rise.

"Your friends in the real world are playing like their lives depend on it and they're giving me energy!" He told them. "With every passing moment I become stronger!"

"Then I say we don't give him too many more moments!" Brody announced as they pulled out their morphers. "NINJA SPIN!"

In the workshop, Mick was still trying and failing to reach Levi. He had since abandoned trying to phone him, there was any number of reasons he wouldn't answer his phone, but now he was using the Ninja-Comm and he still wasn't getting an answer.

"Come on Levi, you know better than this!" He said as he tried to reach him. He looked to one of the games, seeing the Rangers battling Game Goblin. It was now obvious it had been a trap all along. He'd heard through the grapevine that someone had just been giving the games away. While providing free teasers and demos was hardly a new concept, most companies weren't in the habit of giving away whole games for free. Loss-leaders were common in gaming, but fundamentally it was a business which meant that somewhere along the line they were driven by making money. Giving away the games for free didn't seem like a good way of making that happen. Now it made sense, someone wanted to make sure the Rangers got their hands on those games, and what better way to entice them than something for free?

He was still trying to raise him when he turned around, seeing Trevor standing in the doorway. He pulled his Ninja-Comm behind his back.

"Officer Marx!" He greeted him as innocently as he could. "Um...what can I do for you?"

"Where are they?" He asked.

"They?" Mick asked. "Oh, Hayley and her friends? I'm sure they're around here somewhere..."

"The Rangers!" He demanded. "Where are they?"

"The...the Rangers?" Mick asked tentatively. "I have no idea! I mean, they just show up when the monsters attack and..."

"Don't patronise me." Trevor stated, his eyes glowing green. "You wouldn't want to see the university re-visited in a school full of students would you?"

"You...you're..."

Trevor seized him by the throat and rammed him against the wall.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" He roared. Mick's eyes flicked involuntarily towards the game. Looking to it, Trevor released him and made his way over. He picked it up, at which it started glowing.

"There you are!" He said as his armour started to form up around him, before in a flash of light, he disappeared into the game. Mick pulled out his cell phone, this time dialling Victor.

"Victor, its Mick. We need to find Preston and Levi now!" He told him. "Things just got a whole lot worse!"


	22. Green Gambit

Inside the game world, the Rangers were struggling to fight against Game Goblin. True to his word, he seemed to be getting stronger with every passing moment. As soon as they managed to inflict an injury, some red numbers would flash up and he would heal instantaneously. Whenever he attacked, more numbers flashed and he would seem to strike harder than ever before.

Sarah hit the ground, coughing and spluttering after a kick to the stomach knocked the wind out of her.

"What is with this guy?" Brody asked.

"He's getting powered up by people playing the game." Brody reminded them. "Almost the whole school is playing that game! I even caught a couple of the teachers playing!"

"If everyone's playing, he's going to just keep getting more powerful!" Calvin complained. "What do we do?"

"If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears!" Hayley stated. Calvin got up.

"I've got an idea!" He declared. He strode out into the open as the others watched. He performed a couple of tuck-jumps on the spot, then crouched and stood up twice. Everyone stopped fighting for a moment and stared at him. He then performed a left sidestep, followed by a right sidestep, then left, then right. He threw a kick followed by a punch to empty air, then stood stock still. After several moments of confusion, finally Brody spoke.

"Uh...Cal? What are you doing?" He asked.

"The Konami Code." He explained. They all stared at him. "It's one of the most universal cheat codes in gaming."

Everyone, including Game Goblin face-palmed.

"WHAT?" He yelled. "It was worth a shot!"

"Really Cal?" Hayley asked as she and Sarah converted their morphers to bow mode. "Was it really?"

As they started to pepper him with Energy arrows, Brody stood and watched. He saw red numbers flashing up all around Game Goblin as they attacked. He started to stroke his chin.

"Why does he need so much energy?" Brody asked. "I mean, he's already strong."

He watched as he saw Game Goblin block some energy arrows from Hayley's energy bow, before firing back an energy blast of his own. Every time he did, he saw numbers flashing up.

"Guys, I think he needs that energy for his attacks!" Brody surmised.

"What?" Sarah asked. That moment of distraction was enough for Game Goblin to hit her with an attack. Instead of falling though, she just seemed to stand perfectly still.

"Listen, any time he attacks numbers flash up!" He pointed out. "Maybe if we can keep moving and get him to keep throwing out attacks we can get him to burn through his energy!"

"But he'll just get more from the people playing." Calvin reminded him.

"Guys, what's going on with Sarah?" Hayley asked as Sarah turned around, before running straight at her, hitting Hayley with her sword. Hayley flew straight into the side of a building as Game Goblin cackled insanely.

"Your friends on the outside just gave me enough energy to use my control beam!" Game Goblin stated as Sarah stood between him and her friends. Numbers started to fly up from her periodically. "Now your friend is under MY control!"

"Now we have to fight Sarah too?" Calvin asked.

"Maybe not for long." Brody whispered, do you see those numbers? It looks like controlling people uses energy for him. His control beam uses a lot of energy. We can use that to make him burn through it faster!"

"So if we just avoid Sarah and get her to burn through his power, we can attack him while he's vulnerable!"

"Alright, with three of us to keep her distracted..."

Just then, Psycho Green fell from the sky, landing between them all. Brody sighed.

"New plan!" Hayley stated, powering up into Lion Fire Armour mode. "I'll keep Psycho Green off your backs, you two deal with Game Goblin!"

"Right, we'll just deal with Sarah and Game Goblin." Calvin said sarcastically as he ducked a swing of Sarah's sword. "Providing she doesn't decapitate me first!"

Out in the school, Victor was running around, looking for Preston. It was surprisingly difficult to find him considering the fact that everyone in the school, including by the looks of things the janitor and many of the teachers, were playing Game Goblin. He was on his cell phone to Mick.

"Victor, have you had any luck finding Preston yet?" Mick asked.

"Not yet." Victor said. "It's surprisingly hard considering the fact everyone's playing. And I do mean EVERYONE! The janitor's playing now!"

"That's not good news! It looks like people playing provide the Game Goblin with power." Mick told him. "We need to stop people from playing."

"The sprinklers!" Victor called out. "We could pull the fire alarm! The sprinklers would ruin the games!"

"They're waterproof." Monty told him. Victor just looked at him. "I...dropped mine in the toilet. It still worked afterwards."

"Oh Monty!" He muttered, heading to some stairs and heading up to the second floor to get a better look around. He finally found Preston in the middle of the canteen. "I've found him!"

"YES! I got 1000 points!" He screamed, doing a little dance at his table. Victor looked down, trying to figure out a way to get to him, before heading back down the stairs.

"Victor, I don't care if you have to rip every one of those Game Goblins out of everyone's hands." Mick told him. "You have to stop them playing! Game Goblin just got 1000 points!"

"1000 points? Preston just got 1000 points!" Victor stated. "That must be why he wasn't sucked into the game. He's too good! Game Goblin needs him out here to keep playing!"

Victor arrived by Preston's side and tried to grab the Game Goblin from him, but the Blue Ranger shoved him away. Monty tried in vain to get the attention of some of the other students, but they were all transfixed.

"Nothing we do works!" Monty stated. "It's like everyone's hypnotised or something."

"Hypnotised?" Mick asked. He took one of the Game Goblins and scanned it with his computer. He checked out the reading. "Guys, there's a subliminal code scrolling on the screen to keep people playing. The games are LITERALLY addictive! That's why everyone's still playing!

"What can we do?" Monty asked. Victor snapped his fingers.

"I've got an idea!" He stated. "Mick, I'm going to have to hang up!"

"Victor, what are you...?"

"Mick, if anyone knows anything about getting attention it's me!" He stated. "Trust me!"

As he hung up, Mick sighed.

"Well, he has a point." He said with a shrug. He checked on one of the other Game Goblins to observe the battle progressing.

Inside the game world, Hayley was battling with Psycho Green, their weapons blazing through the air as they powered them up, swinging them with murderous intent. Hayley wasn't one to anger quickly or to form grudges easily, but she was also not one to forgive someone harming those she cared about easily. Psycho Green had been attacking her and her friends now for months. He had seriously injured Monica, and he had now tried to kill her dad twice. She was more than happy to end Psycho Green's reign of terror permanently.

She had improved greatly in her skills since becoming a Ranger. She had a few months' Martial Arts and basic self-defence under her belt, just the kind of thing that her mom and Trevor had thought it was a good idea for any young woman to know in a world that while wonderful, did contain a lot of very scary and dangerous people. Brody's lessons had built on that, turning her into a warrior in her own right, and with the most powerful weapons in the Ranger arsenal at her fingertips, she was determined to ensure that this would be the last time she needed to worry about Psycho Green.

That was easier said than done. Psycho Green had already killed at least three Rangers that anyone knew of. None of them knew what kind of atrocities he had committed before he was sent to Earth all those years ago. Hayley overbalanced as she tried to take him out with a single blazing attack, at which she felt his blade sink into her abdomen, going through the armour. He grabbed her, whispering in her ear.

"You fought well, White Ranger." He said to her. "Just know, when I'm finished with your friends, I'll make sure that I send your father and his new girlfriend after you. I'm going to finish them...nice...and...slow."

Hayley had heard enough. She head-butted him, staggering him as she spun, ripping the dagger from his grip, still lodged in her armour. She brought her blade to bear on him, carving into him five, six, seven times before a leaping double-handed strike sent him crashing to the concrete. She took the Lion Fire Star from her wrist, attaching it to the sword.

"You've been harassing my family LONG ENOUGH!" She screamed at him, setting it spinning. She gripped the handle firmly, preparing to strike when Mick accessed her communicator.

"HAYLEY STOP!" He screamed at her.

"Mick, I'm about to..."

"Hayley, you can't do this!" Mick told her.

"He's tried to kill my family..."

"Hayley, he IS your family!" Mick told her. "Hayley, its Trevor!"

"What?" She asked.

"Hayley, I just saw it for myself, I just watched him morph!" Mick told her. "Psycho Green's spirit has taken control of Trevor. He needed a body to re-animate himself."

She heard Psycho Green laughing as he struggled back to his feet. He recalled his helmed, letting Hayley see his face. Hayley's eyes went wide and tears started to form up in them.

"Surprise!" He taunted her.

"No...no...this can't be happening!" She stammered.

"Oh please, think about it. Who better? I felt his hatred for you Rangers. It was positively intoxicating." He started to explain. "He watched you and your friends destroy what he loved again and again...it didn't take much to convince him to take up the power to fight back."

"No..."

"Oh, he saw what was happening. He's even put up an impressive fight. It took settling some old scores to chip away at his resolve." Psycho Green explained. "General Tracker was an easy mark. He was evil in a way that impressed even me. Trevor genuinely wanted to see his end. It only needed a little poke of some old wounds and some anger over what happened in Afghanistan to get him to lose control to me...and when Tracker was gone, believe me he didn't exactly feel much like shedding tears."

"No, that...that doesn't make sense..."

"But it was you that gave me the last piece of the puzzle." Psycho Green stated. "Where do you think I got the idea to go after your father?"

"Oh my God." Hayley said, feeling sick to her stomach.

"You were so distraught; storming into his house in tears, whining about the fact your dad had a new girlfriend." Psycho Green told her. "How do you think Trevor felt when held you sobbing in his arms? How do you think he felt knowing how much he had hurt you?"

"I...I...I did this?" Hayley stammered.

"Now, now you know the truth." He replied as he advanced on her, his helmet forming up again. "Thank you for giving me everything I needed to come back!"

Hayley lifted her sword reluctantly. Now she knew the truth, she wasn't sure she could bring herself to destroy Psycho Green, but it didn't look like he had any such qualms. She just hoped she could survive long enough for someone to figure out how to fix her mess.

Back in the school, Monty went behind the canteen counter, hooking Victor's phone up to the sound system. Victor took a few deep breaths before getting a chair, and using it as a step to get up onto a table right in the middle of the canteen. He put on a microphone headset he had borrowed from the music department and turned it on.

"Fellow students! You all know me! I am Victor Vincent! The one with the six-pack-abs, perfect teeth and the best hair in the school." He declared. People in general weren't paying much attention, other than to look irritated that he was distracting them from their games. He then smiled. "And I know the one thing any kid wants more than video games. HIT IT MONTY!"

Monty went through Victor's play list, finding the tune he had asked for and started it, turning up the volume on the sound system as loud as it would go. Victor started to dance, gyrating and swaying to the music as he started to take off his letterman jacket. He twirled it over his head, before throwing it across the room.

"When I walk on by,  
Girls be looking like damn he fly,  
I pimp to the beat,  
Walking down the street in my new LaFreak, yeah,"

People started to look up from their Game Goblins, staring at him in confusion.

"This is how I roll,  
Animal print, pants out control,  
It's Redfoo with the big afro,  
And like Bruce Leroy I got the glow!"

More and more kids started to look up from their Game Goblins, some of them voicing annoyance at Victor for interrupting them. Monty gave him thumbs' up to indicate his plan was working.

"Girl look at that body,  
Girl look at that body,  
Girl look at that body,  
I-I, I work out, Girl look at that body,  
Girl look at that body,  
Girl look at that body,  
I-I, I work out!"

He pulled off his t-shirt, revealing his personally much-lauded physique and started to flex and pull muscle poses as he was getting more and more of the audience to pay attention to him.

"When I walk in the spot this is what I see,  
Everybody stops and they staring at me,  
I got passion in my bands and I ain't afraid to show it,  
Show it, Show it!"

He grabbed the waist band of his pants, before yanking them down, leaving him in his boxers. He kicked his pants across the room.

"I'm sexy and I know it!"

The kids stared at him with their mouths open in complete shock, before many cell phones came out to record the display. Victor danced for a little longer until he saw Mrs Finch walking in.

"VICTOR VINCENT!" She screamed. Victor let out a shrill shriek, before jumping off the table.

"Run Monty!" He told him. Monty grabbed his phone and ran with Victor, who was fleeing from an irate Mrs Finch amid a chorus of approving screams and laughter. As Monty handed him his phone, Victor called Mick.

"Mick, I got them to stop playing!" He declared.

"How?" Mick asked him.

"Just...ask YouTube later!" He responded as he and Monty fled, Mrs Finch hot on their heels.

Back in the game world, Game Goblin cackled as he saw Sarah hacking down Calvin, advancing on him as she clipped an Element Star into her sword. He looked to Brody, who was still recovering after an attack.

"It looks like pretty soon you're going to be down a Ranger." He taunted him. "You all forget, this is MY game! I make the rules! In here nothing can stop me!"

As Sarah was about to strike Calvin down, she seemed to pause, before swaying a little. She dropped her sword and looked around in confusion.

"What...what happened?" She asked.

"That is a LONG story!" Calvin said as he reached for her hand. Sarah helped him up. "And by the way, you hit HARD!"

"Thanks...I think." She replied as Brody joined them. Game Goblin just looked on in confusion.

"What's going on? Where's all the energy gone?" He asked as he noticed his power bar plummeting to miniscule levels.

"We have friend on the outside." Calvin reminded him. "They were working to stop people playing your game."

"And now that you've burned through all your energy like a noob wastes all his ammo on the first level of a first-person shooter, that leaves you out of luck!" Brody told him. "Because WE'RE not going to be playing your game either!"

Just then, there was an explosion and both Hayley and Psycho Green smashed through a building, landing on the ground between them all. Psycho Green struggled to get up as Hayley shakily got back to her feet.

"I don't want to do this!" She said, tears running down her face. "Please, don't force me to destroy Trevor!"

"TREVOR?" The others chorused. Psycho Green tried to get up, but his strength gave out and he face-planted into the concrete.

"This useless vessel!" He complained. "You might have worn him down, but once I've recovered I'll come back and..."

Calvin, Sarah and Brody all looked to each other, nodding, before all falling on the ground. Hayley just stared at them.

"What the...?"

"OH...oh man! That Game Goblin is so strong!" Brody complained.

"Yeah, he's really kicking our butts!" Calvin added.

"Just as well Hayley's finished off Psycho Green or we'd be in real trouble!" Sarah added. Game Goblin just shook his head.

"What?" He asked. Psycho Green stumbled towards him, grabbing him and staring straight at him.

"Then all is not lost!" Psycho Green stated. "You want power?"

The Rangers watched as the Psycho Green armour segmented and flew from Trevor, beginning to form up around Game Goblin. Trevor slumped to the ground as Psycho Green brushed him aside.

He started to move towards them, but stumbled a little, before realising something was wrong. He looked up at the Rangers, watching as Sarah, Calvin and Brody all kipped-up, putting Element Stars into their morphers.

"Hey, little tip. When you jack a car, check it has some gas left in the tank!" Calvin taunted him. "Alright guys, we're up! Element Star, chains!"

Brody, Sarah and Calvin all cast chains at Psycho Green, wrapping them around his wrists and his neck. Calvin and Hayley flipped out to the side, pulling hard to part his arms and leave him unable to guard while Brody leapt over behind him, pulling on the chain around his neck to force his head up.

"You're up Hayley!" He called out. Hayley powered up the Lion Fire Star.

"This is for everything you've ever done to my family!" She roared. "Lion Fire, Final STRIKE!"

She brought the burning blade down, cutting him from head to crotch in one blow as the others pulled hard, pulling him apart. As he exploded, the Rangers all gathered by Hayley.

"Now that...that is what I call game over!" Brody stated. "Show's over, Ninjas WIN!"

Hayley and Calvin weren't celebrating though; instead they ran over to Trevor, tossing their helmets aside as they went. Hayley got to his side as he made it to his knees. He looked to her, tears running down his face as he saw her.

"I'm...I'm sorry!" He whimpered. "I'm sorry for everything!"

"She held him tightly, Calvin comforting them both as the Rangers started to glow, before finding themselves back in the Shop Class. She parted from him a little, holding his face in her hand.

"It's alright...really it is." She assured him. "I know you'd never hurt me. I know it was Psycho Green."

"Uh...guys? We have a visitor." Preston said as he and Levi finally arrived, accompanied by Grace. She looked to have some superficial injuries and her clothing was dishevelled, but she still had her air of authority and power. Trevor looked to her, pleadingly.

"I'm sorry! I couldn't help it!" He beckoned her. "Please..."

"You don't need to worry. I'll do everything I can to help you." She told him. "But first, you have to come with me."

"What?" Hayley asked. "Where are you taking him?"

"I'm taking him to a classified Prometha site." She told Hayley. "We need to be sure that Psycho Green is gone for good."

"But we destroyed..."

"You destroyed his vessel, but his spirit is...a lot tougher to put down." Grace said, looking to the dagger still lodged in Hayley's abdomen. The White Ranger grabbed it and pulled it out with a grunt, offering the glowing blade to Grace. Grace took out a case and opened it, taking it from her. "We need to make sure that his influence over Trevor is gone for good."

"But he transferred to Game Goblin." Calvin said. "We all saw him!"

"Calvin, it's more than that." Grace told him. "Everyone's seen Trevor morph. They know he was Psycho Green. If we just turn him loose..."

"He'll have to face a very angry public." Sarah sighed. Grace went to Trevor, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I meant what I said. I'll do everything in my power to help you." She told him. "You have my word."

Trevor gestured to Hayley to come to him, before hugging her tightly. He kissed her on the top of the head.

"Look after your mother for me." He told her. "Tell her...tell her I'm sorry."

With that, he turned to Grace and offered her his hands.

"I'm ready." He told her. "Take me in."

Grace pulled out some handcuffs and put them on, cuffing his hands behind his back.

"Trevor Marx, on behalf of the Federal Government, I'm arresting you on suspicion of terrorism." She said reluctantly. As he was taken away, Calvin hugged Hayley tightly.

"It's OK." He assured her. "You did the right thing."

"Hey guys, check that out!" Levi said, bringing their attention to one of the Game Goblin units. They saw what looked like a finger trying to come out. "It looks like he's been gigantified."

"I might have known Cosmo wouldn't let this be a one-round wonder." Sarah complained.

"Wait, I've got an idea." Preston stated. "If we take him on in there...he'll not do any damage to the city!"

"It would be a nice change of pace." Sarah conceded.

"Alright, looks like we're heading to the next level!" Brody said as they grabbed the game. In a flash of light, they disappeared.

**A/N:** Nearly forgot to credit. The song Victor sings is "Sexy and I Know It!" By LMFAO! I just...felt it fit the scene and it appealed to my sense of humour!


	23. Grace's Promise

Up on the Warrior Dome, following the Zord battle with Game Goblin, Badonna was skipping gleefully towards Odious' throne room. She was on her communicator to Lord Draven as she approached.

"So, they're ready? They're really already on their way?" She asked.

"They've already deployed. Wolvermean has assured me that he should be with you before you know it." Draven told her. "He and his team like to make an entrance."

"Make an entrance?" She asked curiously. Draven sighed.

"They get the job done. I think I can overlook a few eccentricities." He told her. "Drakkon is breathing down my neck about my own project, but fortunately we've managed to get things moving a little more quickly now. It turns out Sledge can be really quite effective when he's properly motivated…"

"You're paying him more aren't you?" She sighed. He just nodded.

"What can I say? You want results, you need to pay for them." He answered. "The Galactic Ninjas may seem silly but they get results…and they're NOT CHEAP so you better bring me some real results!"

"Don't worry." She said as she got to the door of Odious' throne room. She hung up and put the communicator away, before stepping inside. Cosmo, Wrench and Odious were inside, discussing the show. For once, Cosmo seemed incredibly irritated about something.

"But Cosmo, our numbers were good!" Wrench said as he stomped around the room in a tantrum that made him look like an overgrown toddler, throwing around production notes and shoving away kudabots that got in his way. "Look at this, the best numbers of the season so far!"

"Yes, but Game Goblin already sold his likeness to GretchenGames!" He screamed. "They own the rights to the Game Goblin game he used, which means any merchandise I want to sell has to give them seventy five percent of MY profits!"

Badonna rolled her eyes as she saw him collapse on the floor, screaming and flailing his limbs. If there was one thing that Cosmo cared about as much or even more than his ratings, it was merchandising rights. While he had to make certain concessions for the bigger talent, who generally owned their own name and image, it was not uncommon for him to hire less-established talent and give them a name and image. Dress them and call them what he wanted so that he could give them a "gimmick" that he owned and more importantly copyrighted from the get-go meaning that he earned the largest slice of the pie on their merchandise. That Game Goblin owned his own likeness was bad enough, but to know he had sold it to a games company meant that it was hardly worth him making any merchandise with Game Goblin, one of his highest rated talents of the season, at all! She just stepped over him as he turned onto his face and started pounding the floor with his fists, screaming.

"Your Highness, I've finally managed to get them!" She said, handing a collection of file cards to Odious. "I've got the Galactic Ninjas booked for next week!"

"The…the…Galactic Ninjas?" Cosmo said, wiping away a few tears as he got up off the floor, coming over to look at the cards. Odious elbowed him away. "Do they have an agent?"

"Interesting!" She said as she inspected the cards, completely ignoring Cosmo. "You know what they say, it takes a ninja to destroy a ninja!"

"Who exactly says that?" Wrench asked. Odious pulled out a knife, throwing it at him, where it lodged in his head. He just grabbed it, pulling it out. "Never mind."

"Let me know as soon as they arrive!" Odious told her. "Now, begone, I've got things I need to prepare."

"No, but seriously, does anyone know if they have a merchandising contract?" Cosmo asked. "Who's their agent? Do they have an agent? PLEASE tell me they don't have an agent…"

"Will one of you get him out of here?" Odious interrupted him. Badonna grabbed Cosmo by the scruff of the neck, dragging him out along with Wrench.

"Seriously, I don't think you realise the potential this has!" He said, sprinkling business cards all over the floor. "Give them my card…GIVE THEM MY CARD!"

As the door shut behind him, Odious smirked and looked back at the files.

"The Galactic Ninjas." She stated. "Things are about to get VERY interesting!"

Meanwhile, at the school, the Rangers were gathered in the Shop Class, debriefing after the battle. They had managed to finally destroy Game Goblin in his game world, after which they gathered up the games units. It turned out it was a lot simpler than they expected. The game units gave out a subliminal signal that encouraged them to play more, even when they had other responsibilities or playing put them in harms' way. With Game Goblin gone, the signal had stopped and people seemed to start wondering why they even liked such a basic and underwhelming game. The Rangers didn't even need to pay to take them, people were more than happy to get rid of them!

Calvin brought down a sledgehammer onto a stack of them, smashing them into pieces. Even though Game Goblin was gone, they didn't want to take any chances that Odious could still use them for something.

"Well, that's the last of them." He stated.

"Not…quite." Preston told them, pulling one out of his pocket and placing it on the floor. He gestured to Calvin for the hammer. "I think I need to do this one myself."

They others all cheered him on as he brought the hammer down, smashing it into pieces. He looked to the others.

"There we go, that's the last of them." He responded. "Listen, I want to apologise to all of you guys…"

"It's alright Preston." Hayley assured him. "We all know that game had you hypnotised…"

"I know, but…I still let all of you down. I let a lot of people down." Preston said, sounding dejected. He was disappointed in himself for not being there for his friends and the city when they needed him. While he did love his games and his magic tricks, even though he became a Ranger largely by accident and against his will, he did take his role very seriously. "I'm really sorry."

"It's fine." Brody told him. "You weren't the only one that wasn't here."

Levi noticed the fact Brody was looking at him when he said that. He could understand the others being upset. It wasn't the first time he'd failed to answer a communicator call. One of the first and most important rules of being a Ranger was that you ALWAYS answered your communicator. The second was that the communicators were ONLY used for emergency Ranger business. They still used their cell phones and other means for day-to-day stuff like arranging hang-outs etc. so that whenever a communicator sounded, they knew it was serious business. In his first battle after officially joining the team, Levi had removed his communicator while he was on stage at his concert. He had heard all the lectures and knew why his actions had potentially put a lot of people in danger. The sad truth was that Levi had heard the communicator, but he was still in his own head-space after reading Mariko's diary.

"So, if everyone was hypnotised…how did you get everyone to stop playing?" Sarah asked.

"Victor had that covered." Mick told them. Preston just sniggered.

"Oh, he did alright!" He chuckled.

"Victor saved us?" Brody asked. "AGAIN?"

"That's the third time Victor's saved us?" Sarah asked. "I can't…I…I don't know how we'll be able to live this down!"

"How did he get everyone to stop playing?" Calvin reiterated. "I mean everyone was hooked, even we were!"

"Oh, he gave everyone something else to look at!" Preston told them. "He did a strip!"

"Wait, what?" Sarah asked. "He…he did a strip?"

"Right in the middle of the canteen!" Preston answered. "Trust me, no one was looking at Game Goblin after that!"

"Look, this has been a bad one, I think we can all acknowledge that." Mick stated. "So maybe for now, we should focus on the good. Psycho Green…we're finally done with him!"

"Yeah, but at what cost?" Hayley sighed. "Trevor…"

"Yeah, man that's really trippy." Calvin stated. "I mean, I know he had issues with the Rangers but…trying to kill us?"

"I guess a lot of what he did makes sense now." Brody commented. "Going after Aaron and Monica?"

"There was a time he got pretty intense with me." Calvin told them all. They all stared at him. "He saw Hayley with some bruises one time and he got pretty…pretty intense about it all. He grabbed me and shoved me up against my truck."

"He did?" Sarah asked. "And you didn't tell us that?"

"Well, to be fair he's Hayley's step-dad and if I'm honest…I can kind of see where he was coming from!" Calvin said defensively. "I mean if I thought someone was hurting Hayley, I would be getting a little physical with them. It was a thing, but I thought it was just him being a good dad looking out for his daughter. I didn't want to make anything awkward so I didn't say anything about it. Now I'm starting to wish I did."

"Guys, maybe we should…you know…talk about something else?" Sarah suggested as she held Hayley. Hayley just sighed.

"It's alright. You're not the only ones that haven't said anything." She said. "Trevor, he has night terrors."

"Well, everyone has the occasional…"

"No, you don't get it. He has full-blown panic episodes." She admitted. "He and mom always tried to keep it from me. Protect me I guess, but sometimes it's pretty hard to not notice when he wakes up screaming. The walls aren't as thick as mom seems to think they are. I also found an oxygen tank in the house and trust me; it wasn't a SCUBA thing."

"Panic attacks?" Mick asked her. "Night terrors? What would cause those?"

"Before he was part of our family, Trevor was in Afghanistan." Hayley told them. "I don't know what happened to him out there, but since he never talks about it, I always figured it was something really bad."

"Afghanistan…man that…I don't think I'd want to know what he could have seen out there." Calvin said sympathetically.

"But that's not what people are going to know about him." Hayley said sadly. "All they're going to remember is seeing him as Psycho Green."

She got up and started gathering her things together.

"Mick, would you clear my absence for the rest of the day?" Hayley asked him. "I've got a feeling mom's really going to need me right now."

"Of course." Mick responded. "We understand completely."

"I need to go too; I need to find Sandy." Preston told them. "I mean, I was meant to show her around the school and I've totally bugged out on that whole thing! I really need to make that up to her."

"I'm sure you will." Sarah answered as she pulled out her phone and started to search for something as they left the room. Only Brody, Mick and Levi stayed behind. Mick could see something of a look between Brody and Levi.

"I um…I should probably go and explain to Jennifer where Hayley is." Mick said as he quickly scrambled from the room. Brody stood with his arms crossed, staring at Levi.

"Well?" Brody asked.

"Brody…"

"Where the hell were you?" Brody asked. "I heard you called in a sick day but you look fine to me!"

"Brody, you don't understand…"

"Then how about you explain it to me?" Brody asked. "What? You didn't answer your communicator because you were giving yourself a duvet day?"

"It wasn't like that!" Levi told him.

"Then what was it like?" Brody asked him.

"If all this with Trevor should have taught you one thing it's that just because someone looks fine doesn't mean to say that they are!" Levi told him.

"What's that meant to mean?" Brody asked him. Levi pulled out the diary, putting it down on the table.

"If I tell you, I don't think you'll believe me." Levi told him. "Read this."

Brody was still angry that Levi had let something that he read in some old diary get in the way of his duties. He wanted to just call him out and tell him that it didn't matter what was in the diary when others were in danger, but he could see that Levi wasn't exaggerating about how upset he was about the diary. He picked up the diary, then hopped up onto the counter and started reading.

Over at the Marx house, Hayley arrived, finding her mom sitting alone in the living room. She could see that she was watching the news, though by now she was more than certain that the feds had probably told her mom what had happened. Grace had promised they would do everything they could to help, so she doubted that would begin with making a woman's husband simply disappear off the face of the Earth. Hayley put down her bag at which Laura looked over to her.

"Hayley, you're…"

"The um…the school let me out a little early." Hayley told her mom semi-truthfully. She didn't want to outright lie. There were going to be enough of them in the near future for her to start adding more to the mix. "I know it's dad's turn to have me, but I just…"

"Thank you." She sighed. Hayley came onto the couch and held her mother as they watched the news. Hayley hated to think that her mom had been receiving a non-stop diet of this since she had been contacted about Trevor. There were a lot of people being interviewed, rather predictably a lot of people very angry to find out that one of the people they had trusted to protect them had secretly been one of the creatures attacking the city. Even a few of Trevor's colleagues on the department were putting the boot in, making statements with their faces and voices distorted.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm hearing reports that…Ladies and Gentlemen, Grace Sterling, head of Promethea is said to be about to make a public statement!" The reporter stated. "Grace Sterling famously does not give many public statements, but she has been said to…wait, here she is! Agent Sterling…"

Reporters clamoured around as she took up position outside the Summer Cove Police Station, waiting for them to calm down. Grace ignored their questions, opting to read from a prepared statement as she waited for them to give her an opportunity to speak.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a prepared statement, there will be no questions at this time, questions will go through Promethea's Press Department in due course." She began. "Officer Trevor Marx, previously a host for the Psycho Green Ranger has handed himself in to Federal Custody and will be remanded at a classified Promethea site until it can be ascertained if he is a danger to others."

There was a flare up of voices from the crowd as she said this. Some were asking why he was being held in secret, others asking how he was to be punished. Yet more were calling some kind of cover-up. She ignored them and exerting the kind of authority only she could manage to silence the crowd.

"Until it is established how much control Trevor Marx has over his own actions, we are treating him at this time as innocent in line with the rights afforded to any other citizen." She told them. "However, I have lobbied the Federal Government and have had certain files pertaining to his case de-classified relating to his service for this country in Afghanistan. While serving as a Military Police Officer, Trevor became aware of a mercenary unit who were paid by officers to attack civilian targets and against direct orders and at the risk of his own life, career and reputation sought justice against those who committed atrocities on the orders of those who were meant to be acting in your name!"

This created something of a stir as people became curious about this case.

"The full details will be released in due course in a formal statement, but rest assured Trevor Marx is more deserving of our respect, our gratitude and our pity than he is our judgement!" Grace said, before staring into the hard camera as though looking straight to Hayley and her mother. "I made a promise to do what I could to ensure justice. I take that very seriously. Rest assured I will ensure those that deserve that judgement are held to account."

With that, she gathered up her file and walked back into the station as the journalists clamoured for more. Hayley looked to her mother, hoping that she wasn't too upset. She could see tears running down her face.

"Mom…"

"At…at last!" She said, smiling as she wiped away her tears. Hayley was astounded by this reaction as her mom…almost laughed. She looked to Hayley, who could almost feel the relief coming from her. "Trevor…he's had so much he couldn't work through, couldn't talk about, even with me! It was so hard to watch him suffer, to wish he could share with me what happened."

"Mom…"

"Now…now the truth can finally come out!" She said as she pulled into Hayley's arms. "Whatever happens, no matter what they say about Psycho Green…he can finally get the help I couldn't give him."

Hayley held her mother, and could feel the genuine relief from her as she sobbed.

"Thank you, Grace." Hayley found herself saying. "Thank you."

Back at the school, Brody put down the diary after reading it. He looked up to Levi as he finished.

"Well?" Levi asked.

"This…this can't be real." Brody stated.

"Redbot said he found it under the house. It can't have gotten there by itself." Levi told him. "And earlier today I caught him climbing in through my balcony to steal it back!"

"He did what?" Brody asked.

"He's tried to steal that diary TWICE!" Levi stated. "Why would he do that if what it said wasn't true?"

"Wait…but Mariko…she was obsessed with him…"

"Well that much is clear, but it still doesn't change what he did." Levi stated.

"So, Mariko was a surrogate?" Brody asked. "I remember in biology hearing about artificial insemination…"

"The way I read it; it wasn't so 'artificial'." Levi responded. "Which means Mariko's my mother."

"So that makes us what? Half-brothers?" Brody asked him. Levi was starting to regret telling Brody, but he knew he deserved to know the truth. He put a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't care about titles. Brody and Aiden grew up together." Levi reminded him. "And Brody and Levi fought through entire armies to get back to each other. There's no 'half' about that."

"I just…I can't believe all of this." Brody told him. "How am I meant to speak to dad after this?"

"Well, until you figure it out, you're welcome to stay with me." Levi told him. Brody just nodded.

"I…I think that might be a good idea." Brody answered. "I don't know if I could face him right now."

"We should probably call him and let him know." Levi told him. "We might not be talking to him yet, but…there's no reason to let him worry."

"Thanks man." Brody said. "I appreciate it."


	24. Stranger than Strange

Preston was going around the school, looking for Sandy. Following the attack there weren't too many people still in class. In fact, Principal Hasting had just put out an announcement that the school would be closing for the remainder of the day and that those students who didn't have transport were to wait on the premises for a parent or guardian to come and collect them to take them home. There were a surprising number of students who had access to cars or had friends who did and so they could go, and obviously those whose birthdays were early enough in the year that they had already turned 18 were legally adults and so the school couldn't really do anything to stop them leaving if they wanted, but for the rest of them, the school still had a duty of care and so they were stuck until their families could arrange for someone to take them home. Brody and Levi said they had some personal stuff to take care of and so had left without any of the others and Calvin had taken Hayley home to see to her mom, meaning that only Sarah and Preston were left in the school.

Preston was busy looking around for Sandy. He felt like he needed to make things up to her since he had basically blown off the responsibility of guiding her around the school in her first few days. While Summer Cove High was in general a pretty good school with very few troublemakers, considerably less now that Ace was serving a sentence for dealing, it was always a daunting experience going to a new school. Preston had never been especially keen on the idea of puppy-walking a new student around, he did take his responsibilities seriously. One of the things his dad had drilled into him from a young age was that a man was judged very much by how he treated his responsibilities and commitments. A person who treated his promises and his duties as inconveniences to be brushed off whenever they weren't convenient, no matter how small, could never be relied upon to keep his word on more important issues. While he had fallen under Game Goblin's spell, even before then he'd treated it as more of an annoyance than anything else.

He eventually noticed her in a corner, sitting by herself with her homework. She was obviously trying to get a jump-start on it in this unexpected free time. Preston made his way over, coming around behind her and standing behind her.

"Hey, Sandy…wow, some first day huh?" He asked her. "I mean, I suppose no one expects to have their school attacked by an evil Power Ranger, right?"

Sandy didn't answer him, instead carrying on with her homework. Preston just let out a sigh. He'd screwed up, he knew he had, but he still wanted to make things right with her. It looked like Sandy had taken him ditching her a lot more personally than he had expected.

"So, chemistry huh?" He asked, looking to the books before her. "Yeah, that class is tough. I know I struggled for a while. Maybe I can help you out?"

Sandy turned around her pencil, rubbing out the equation she had been writing in frustration as she realised, she had made a mistake. She started writing it out again.

"Look, Sandy, I messed up, I'm sorry." Preston said sadly. "I was in my own head…which it seems was up my own ass and…I should never have ditched you. I promise, I'll not do that again, OK?"

She still didn't answer as she tried to go through her equation again. Preston sat down beside her and touched her arm.

"Sandy, I'm sorry…"

"Preston?" She asked as she suddenly reacted. Preston pulled away.

"Sandy, I…I'm sorry I didn't mean to…"

"Preston!" She said, smiling as she looked to him. "You're alright!"

"Well…yeah?" He said, a little surprised by her reaction. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Just then, there was a buzzing sound. Reaching into her pocket, Sandy pulled out her phone which was set on vibrate. She checked it, seeing a text message, before looking to the door where Emma was standing, waving her over. Sandy started to pack up her things.

"I'm sorry, it looks like our ride is here." She stated. "Um…I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah, sure." Preston answered as she skipped away. He started scratching his head. "Now that was…confusing."

Over at the Romero Farm, Levi and Brody arrived, finding the place very quiet. They got out of their trucks, heading into the farmhouse. They both had a lot of questions and they were determined to get some answers from their dad.

There was a time in any kid's life when they learned that their parents weren't perfect. Normally it was when they figured out that their parents didn't know the answer to every question, or when their parents couldn't help with their homework…perhaps it was learning that their parents weren't particularly good at playing baseball or couldn't throw a free-throw. They weren't sure how common it was to find out that their dad had lied to them about their very existence, that they had been lied to about everything even from before they were born.

"You sure you want to do this?" Levi asked him. "I mean, we could have just sent dad a message or…"

"I want to see him." Brody told him. "I want to hear what he has to say."

"I understand that, but do you not think we should…"

"I kind of need to pick up a few things first." Brody reminded him. "OK, here goes. DAD!"

They made their way into the house, looking for him.

"Dad? Dad, are you here?" Brody asked as he started looking around the farmhouse. Levi stayed in the living room while Brody went to look out what he needed and looked for Dane. He came back into the room. "He's not in here."

"Maybe the workshop." Levi suggested as they headed from the house out towards the workshop. When they got there, only Redbot was in the workshop.

"Dad?" Brody called out. "DAD!"

"Brody, Levi…I'm afraid your father isn't here." Redbot told them. Brody and Levi just looked to each other, before turning back to him.

"What do you mean he isn't here?" Levi asked. "Where is he? Did he go into town?"

"He left a message." Redbot told them. He stood upright, before he started to speak in Dane's voice. He had recorded the message from Dane in order to deliver it to the boys.

"Boys, I'm sorry to do things this way. I know it's cowardly, but given everything you've learned I'm sure that right now a fight with your old man is probably the last thing that's going to help." Dane began. "I have a lot to answer for, and you can rest assured I'm going to answer for them. I can't begin to excuse what I've done and I'm hoping that with some distance perhaps we can all get together when we've all had more of a chance to thing about things and know where we want to begin."

"Distance?" Levi asked. "What does he mean by that?"

"What you're all doing here is very important and right now I can only think that your feelings for me, however justified, can only be a distraction that you and the city cannot afford." Dane's message continued. "That is why I've decided to leave."

"He's left?" Brody asked.

"As you know, you aren't the only ones I've wronged. I have a lot that I need to make up for." Dane told them. "I feel that until we have all had some time to process all of this, my time would be best served trying to make amends to the one I've wronged the most. I know that after so long the chances of finding Mariko are slim, but I have to try. I don't ask you to forgive me. I know that's far too much to ask. I ask that you look after each other and keep each other safe until we can all find the time and the space to discuss my actions properly. I'm sorry."

As Redbot finished the message, Levi and Brody just looked around the workshop.

"So, dad's just…left?" Brody asked. "He's gone looking for Mariko?"

"That's what it sounds like." Levi answered bitterly.

"Well, I guess I'm not going to yours after all." Brody sighed. "The Nexus Prism is still here. We can't leave it unprotected."

"Alright, you wait here then." Levi told him. "I'll get some things and bring them back here. I'll bring some dinner too."

"Thanks bro." Brody answered as Levi went. Brody picked up one of the Ninja Stars that had been forged and threw it across the room, at which it lodged in the wall in a fit of anger. He had known his dad to be a lot of things in his time. A great ninja, an accomplished sensei, a flawed father, but he had never in his life thought of him as a coward until now.

Back at the school, Sarah was sitting by herself watching something on her phone when Preston sat next to her.

"So, how was Sandy?" Sarah asked without looking up from her phone.

"A little strange actually." He told her. "It was like she was mad at me, then…she wasn't."

"Isn't that the point of apologising?" Sarah asked him.

"No, it's not like that." Preston responded. "It was a little more…I don't know, it was like someone flipped a switch or something. It was quite weird."

"You know, a lot of guys would just be happy that a girl forgave them pretty much instantly." Sarah told him. "She could have made you jump through a few hoops first. Maybe got a free lunch or two."

"You're really not helping; do you know that?" Preston asked her.

"I wasn't aware I was meant to be helping." Sarah said with a cheeky smile. Preston just reached over, grabbing her phone. "Hey!"

"Alright, let's just see what's so fascinating, shall we?" He asked her. Sarah reached for her phone but Preston was playing a very effective game of keep-away.

"Hey, give that back!" She yelled. Preston just started laughing.

"Are you serious?" He asked. "You found the YouTube video of Victor dancing?"

"I just couldn't believe he did that!" She protested as she finally took the phone back. "I don't know what's worse, the fact that he did or the fact that he saved us…again."

"It was definitely something to see." Preston chuckled. "He was right about one thing, there is one thing teenagers pay more attention to than video games."

"His view count definitely shows that!" Sarah said, showing him the figure.

"And how many of those were you?" Preston asked her. Sarah shoved him gently. "You know, it was kind of funny to see…you want to just go and hit the replay button?"

"Already did!" Sarah answered, holding the phone between them so that they could both watch the video again.

Up on the Warrior Dome, Madame Odious was in her throne room, formulating her plans. The latest batch of monsters had been somewhat of a mixed success, but that wasn't really her concern right now. All she cared about was the fact that it was clear there were people working to undermine her and how best to remain in a position of power.

She was always mindful of the very simple rule that whoever held the power was usually the one that was behind everything. Lord Draven showing up with literally everything she needed and asking nothing in return was more than just too good to be true. In her experience the only reason someone never named a price up front for a deal was because by the time they did name the price it would either be something that the one they were dealing with couldn't afford or didn't want to pay. There was rarely such a thing as a "kindness" in her circles, everything had a price. She was sure that either Draven was ultimately the one behind all of her recent misfortunes or he worked for someone who was. The only thing that worried her more than the prospect of facing Draven would be the thought of someone that scared Draven, a being who had literally eliminated all life in his own dimension.

But until she was sure, she needed to take one step at a time. She had to assume that sooner or later she might have to take on Draven, and that was in and of itself going to be a daunting task. The Rangers had already given her enough problems, facing off against someone who had conquered his entire dimension and literally only wanted to find more to conquer was quite another matter. She always preferred to let her opponents exhaust and destroy themselves, but that didn't mean she wasn't aware of the need to prepare for if they came for her directly.

She heard something in the hallway and turned to the door, heading through. She got there to find some wrecked Kudabots outside.

She pulled her mallet out of her cloak and made her way out, following the apparent path of the carnage. She didn't hear anything or see anyone, but she definitely saw their handiwork. Body parts strewn around in a manner that looked at first glance careless, but felt deliberate. Anyone with the skill to move so silently and attack with so little warning was more than capable of also ensuring no evidence was left behind. If they left anything behind to be found, then they wanted it to be found!

Badonna appeared from her chambers, looking to the wreckage.

"Madame Odious, what is…?"

Madame Odious put a finger to her lips, indicating to Badonna to be silent. She gestured to her to follow as they took up the path. They finally ended up in the studio, on the stage which was in pitch darkness. Odious turned on the power, lighting it all up.

"What is going on?" Badonna asked.

"I don't think we have long to wait until we find out." Odious responded. "We're not alone!"

They both dodged to the side as a large, saw-like disk attached to a length of chain flew between them, lodging into the surface of the stage.

Badonna pulled out her war fan, preparing to attack when a storm of arrows fell all around her, imbedding in the floor. A shadow flew over them, before landing on the stage, rolling into the light, striking what could only be described as a pose. It served no practical function as a guard and was more a case of flaunting her appearance.

"I am Venoma! Mistress of toxic love!" She declared. A huge, heavy form landed beside her, shaking the room.

"I am Rygore! Master of battle strategy!" He declared, as he started flexing in a very showy way. They both stood transfixed by the display as a blur came and ran around them, casting up a wind that disorientated them before he took up position on the stage.

"I am Speedwing, Master of the lightning strike!" He cackled as he stood on one leg with his wings outstretched. The disk flew back between them, returning to the shadows, before a form flipped over them, joining his comrades on stage. He drew his shield in front of him while he held a sickle weapon in an exaggerated attacking position.

"And I am Wolvermean! The leader of…"

They all flailed about in a bizarre display, before ending up in a ridiculous pose before them.

"THE GALACTIC NINJAS!" They all chorused. Badonna and Odious both stared at each other, before turning back to the stage.

"THEY'RE the Galactic Ninjas?" Badonna asked.

"It appears so." Odious sighed.

"But…but…they're MORONS!" She screamed.

"I can forgive a little eccentricity in exchange for success." Odious replied as she approached. "Theatricality and showmanship are elements of ninjutsu and…they certainly have that in spades! Show them to their quarters, and ensure they have all the resources they need to prepare!"

"I'll take care of that!" Cosmo replied, appearing as though from nowhere. "So, Wolvermean is it? I believe you're the leader?"

"I hold that honour, yes!" He replied.

"So, tell me, do you have a manager I need to speak to with regards to your contract for the show?" Cosmo asked.

"What's a manager?" Rygore asked. Cosmo just smiled broadly.

"Perfect!" He replied. "Come with me. I'll show you to the finest suites on the ship where we can iron out a few boring little business details!"

In the dead of night, over at the Romero Farm, Brody was sitting, kind of watching something on the television. He didn't really know what he was watching, he didn't really care much either. It didn't really matter much. It was some black-and-white thing with cowboys in it. He wasn't paying enough attention to know what he was watching. It was purely a distraction, something to keep his mind off what he was really thinking about. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

"Hey, I love this one!" Levi told him. "Say, did you know that one right there went on to become President?"

"Levi, I might not have spent much of my life on Earth, but I know who Ronald Reagan is." Brody sighed. "Internet, so helpful."

"You know why I love these movies?" Levi asked him.

"Because you grew up in Texas and most of the characters looked like you?" Brody teased him. Levi just laughed.

"A little, I guess." He answered. "I guess growing up though what really appealed to me was that it was so straightforward, so easy. It wasn't difficult to figure out who the good guys and the bad guys were. The good guys wore white hats, the bad guys wore black hats and when the guy in the white hat won, the movie was over."

"It's just a shame life isn't like that isn't it?" Brody asked.

"Yeah, it kind of sucks doesn't it?" He asked. "Come on. We should probably get to bed. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

"Probably another sucker punch." Brody muttered as he shut off the television. Levi put his arm around him.

"I guess that's why we learn to block isn't it?" He responded as he shut off the lights.

Out in the yard, a stranger was waiting for the lights to go out before making their move. Sending a quick text message as they waited a little while to ensure neither of the inhabitants of the house were waking back up, they headed into the yard.

There were a few security measures around the farm. Some old ninja tricks that Dane had set up to set off some home-made alarms within the house, but a little research was enough to bypass them. The stranger managed to get to the workshop and found the door to be locked. Pulling out a couple of fine screwdrivers, the stranger quickly picked the lock, removing it and opening the door.

Once inside, the stranger got a start, seeing Redbot sitting there, but after a while of the robot not moving, they went over, inspecting it closely, waving hands in front of his face. It was only then they saw power cables connected. Redbot was charging, essentially, he was asleep. That would make things a little easier.

The stranger started to look around, seeing the forge and various weapons. Pulling out a cell phone, the stranger started snapping some pictures.

"Is it there?" A text message came back. The stranger started looking around.

"I don't see it." The stranger started to type. "A lot of weapons, some newly forged ninja stars…it looks like this could be the right place, but I can't see it."

"Keep looking!" The return message said. "We need to be certain!"

The stranger was starting to begin a more detailed search when there was a bright light starting to glow brightly. Approaching, the stranger found a set of shutters in the wall, concealing a cabinet. Opening the shutters, the stranger found the Nexus Prism. Pulling out the cell phone, the stranger took a picture.

"It's here!" The stranger texted. "You were right! It's them!"

Just then, the stranger noticed something else, feeling a pull at their clothing, the stranger pulled out a piece of metal. It was a shard of metal from Psycho Green's armour that the stranger had picked up from one of his battles. It too was glowing. The stranger took a picture.

"What's happening?" The stranger messaged. There was no response. The stranger saw the ninja star that was still lodged in the wall was starting to glow. The stranger went over, prying it from the wall, at which they felt an irresistible pull. The shard of Psycho Green's armour and the ninja star merged together into a new star, before flying from the stranger's hand into the Nexus Prism.

The stranger watched as the prism glowed brightly, spinning in place, before something fired out straight for them. The stranger was bowled over, catching the object. Looking down, they saw a Green Power Star. The stranger took a picture.

"What is this?" The stranger's message asked.

"Come back! We'll figure it out here!" The reply came. The stranger stashed the Power Star in their clothes, before running from the farm. They had come for a simple reconnaissance mission, to find out if their suspicions were true. Now though, there was yet another mystery for them to solve. What was this new star, and why had the Nexus Prism given it to them?

Fin

**A/N: **Well, there it is folks, the end of one story. But don't worry, the Galactic Ninjas arc is coming very soon!


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